Neutrogena, the popular cosmetics and skin care brand, has issued a statement following the death of Hayden Panettiere, who served as a spokesperson and brand ambassador for the company for nearly a decade during the height of her career. Panettiere’s death ignited widespread backlash against Neutrogena across social media due to comments the actor made about the company wanting to fire her because she had spoken up about her battle with postpartum depression.
“We are deeply saddened by Hayden Panettiere’s passing,” Neutrogena said in a post on Instagram. “For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community. We are proud to have partnered with her and understand that we made her feel unsupported during a very difficult time. This is not what Neutrogena stands for or who we want to be.”
The company statement continued: “Hayden’s courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness. We are making a significant investment to a long-standing community health partner to help give more women access to the support they need, including care for postpartum depression. We will share more details with this community when plans are in place.”
