Hayden Panettiere fans boycott Neutrogena after brand ‘released’ actor for speaking about depression in 2015

Hayden Panettiere fans are boycotting Neutrogena after her claims the skincare giant sacked the actress as an ambassador in 2015 for opening up about postpartum depression re-entered the spotlight.

The American company is facing backlash after Panettiere tragically died on Sunday afternoon inside an apartment in Greenville, South Carolina.

The 36-year-old Heroes and Nashville star was found unresponsive after an acquaintance called emergency services about 1.50pm.

Police said there were no signs of trauma or foul play, and her cause of death remains under investigation.

In the wake of her death, fans have taken to social media to demand a boycott of Neutrogena, which worked with Panettiere from 2005 until 2015.

In 2015, Panettiere shared her experience with postpartum depression after the birth of her daughter, Kaya, on Live With Kelly and Michael.

She revealed her depression was “completely uncontrollable and really painful” and that “It’s really scary, and women need a lot of support”.

Soon after, her contract with Neutrogena was cancelled.

In May this year, Panettiere revealed the reason she was fired as the youthful face of the company with Jay Shetty on his On Purpose podcast.

“Neutrogena and I were together for 10 years,” she said.

“They had morality clauses that had a huge impact on my life, because I was a teenager and I had all the paparazzi around me capturing these gory moments.

“Every moment - every cigarette I smoked, every bad outfit, or [comments like], ‘She’s looking chunky in a bathing suit’, or, ‘She has a fat vagina’.”

“This is the last thing I thought they would ever fire me over.

“When I went on Live with Kelly and Michael, I had no intention or plan to talk about postpartum depression. It just came up and I was just being honest,” she said.

“Never for a second did I think that anyone would have a bad reaction to it - it was my truth.”

She added that despite working with the brand for a decade, she never heard a word from anybody after they fired her.

“Not a ‘great working with you for 10 years,’ ‘hope you’re good; we wish you well.’ And I remember that really breaking my heart,” she said.

“I wouldn’t change it for the world; I wouldn’t take it back.”

Panettiere also mentioned it in her 2026 memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning, writing: “Neutrogena cancelled my long-standing contract and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”

On Google Trends, the term “Neutrogena boycott” has spiked over 5000 per cent in three days, The New York Post reported.

“I will never buy one of their products again in my life,” one fan wrote on Reddit, with another user calling Panettiere’s commercials a “core memory” for millennials.

Another fan said: “I do use their products, but I will not be buying any more, ever again. It may be just a small thing, but it matters.”

According to The New York Post, stock prices for Kenvue Inc., the Neutrogena parent company that also owns Tylenol, Band-Aid and Aveeno, dropped more than two per cent on Monday due to overall sales numbers.

The stock recovered some, but not all, of its value on Tuesday morning.