Outraged fans are calling for a mass boycott of Neutrogena after Hayden Panettiere’s death revived her claim that the skincare giant dropped her for speaking about postpartum depression.
The ‘Heroes’ actress, 36, died on Sunday, August 16 at a residence in Greenville, South Carolina, according to a statement from the Greenville Police Department. Emergency services responded to a report of an unresponsive female and pronounced her deceased at the scene. Within an hour of the news breaking, social media users began demanding action against Neutrogena, the brand Panettiere represented from 2005 until 2015.
Panettiere first publicly accused Neutrogena of severing her contract after she disclosed her mental health struggles on ‘Live! With Kelly and Michael’ in 2015. She detailed the episode further in her 2026 memoir, ‘This Is Me: A Reckoning,’ and on Jay Shetty’s ‘On Purpose’ podcast in May 2026.
“Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else,” Panettiere wrote in her book. She also described the experience as “something completely uncontrollable” and “really painful” in interviews.
On Reddit, one devastated fan’s boycott pledge has been up-voted more than 5,500 times.
“I will never buy one of their products again in my life,” the Redditor wrote. Another user added, “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.”
On Threads, Neutrogena’s official account has been flooded with angry comments on its most popular posts. When the brand posted, “Friends don’t let friends go to bed without removing their makeup,” one user fired back, “Friends don’t drop friends when they’re suffering, but hey.”
Google Trends data shows the term “Neutrogena boycott” has spiked over 5,000% in three days. On TikTok, more than 70,000 people have called for a brand ban in various video comments.
The skincare company did not respond to requests for comment.
Stock prices for Kenvue Inc., the Neutrogena parent company that also owns Tylenol, Band-Aid and Aveeno, slipped over 2% on Monday due to overall sales numbers. The stock recovered some, but not all, of its value on Tuesday morning.
In the viral moment that started the current backlash, Panettiere appeared on ‘Live! With Kelly and Michael’ in 2015 to discuss her postpartum depression after giving birth to daughter Kaya in December 2014. She explained that she felt “miserable” and was “in tears all the time,” clarifying that postpartum depression did not mean wanting to hurt her child. After that appearance, she said Neutrogena terminated her long-standing contract. The incident became a recurring theme in her memoir and interviews, where she described how her ‘Nashville’ character Juliette Barnes began mirroring her own struggles with postpartum depression, alcohol and pills. “Every time I read the day script, it was like I was looking in a funhouse mirror, seeing a distorted reflection of myself,” she wrote.
Neutrogena is already having a rough month. Last week, fans noticed that current brand ambassador Tate McRae wasn’t actually using the brand’s best-selling makeup wipes in a makeup removal video on TikTok. One viewer mocked the gaffe, asking, “Hi, is anyone with a car seat available to pick me up from the hospital tomorrow since it appears I was born yesterday?” The brand is currently discounted at Ulta Beauty, with prices hovering around 20% off normal retail cost.
Panettiere’s memoir also revealed how her Neutrogena contract shaped her public behavior for years. “My relationship with Neutrogena helped dictate every outfit I wore, every hair and makeup choice, and how I acted when I was out on the town,” she wrote. “I never let the paparazzi see me holding a drink—underage Neutrogena girls didn’t do that.”
Neutrogena has not announced any public response to the boycott calls or Panettiere’s death.