Skincare giant Neutrogena has issued a public apology acknowledging it left actress Hayden Panettiere feeling unsupported after she spoke openly about postpartum depression — an admission that came just days after the Heroes and Nashville star was found dead at a private residence in Greenville, South Carolina, on Sunday. She was 36 years old.
Panettiere was discovered unresponsive at the home on Sunday afternoon. Emergency responders attempted to revive her following what is understood to have been a cardiac arrest, but she was pronounced dead at the scene. No official cause or manner of death has yet been released, and an investigation remains ongoing.
Neutrogena's admission over Hayden Panettiere's treatment
The apology follows mounting pressure on the brand from Panettiere's fans, many of whom called for a boycott after details emerged from her recently published memoir, This Is Me: A Reckoning. In the book, Panettiere alleged that Neutrogena terminated their partnership — which had lasted more than a decade — after she publicly discussed her experience with postpartum depression in 2015.
"Neutrogena cancelled my long-standing contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else," she wrote. "I had postpartum depression, and it sucked. I wanted more than anything to get back to that place of happiness, but I didn't even know where that place was anymore."
In its statement, Neutrogena said it was "deeply saddened" by Panettiere's passing and acknowledged the harm caused by how it handled the situation at the time.
"For more than a decade, Hayden was a valued member of our Neutrogena community," the company said. "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 also announced it would direct investment toward a community health partner to help more women access support services, including care specifically for postpartum depression. It credited Panettiere's willingness to speak out as having helped spark important public conversations about mental health.
Neutrogena added that it had deliberately held back from commenting sooner out of respect for the actress's family and loved ones.
DEA joins investigation into actress's death
The circumstances surrounding Panettiere's death have grown increasingly complex. The US Drug Enforcement Administration has joined the inquiry, working alongside the Greenville City Police Department. Sources familiar with the matter indicated the agency's involvement does not in itself confirm that drugs played any role in her death — that determination remains pending further investigation.
An autopsy found no signs of trauma that would have contributed to her death, and police initially indicated there were no signs of foul play. Despite this, a representative for Panettiere issued a pointed statement in the wake of the latest developments.
"There's nothing to be shared at this time as the investigation is ongoing, but we are hopeful that justice will be served," the representative said, without elaborating on the meaning of "justice."
Separately, Panettiere's on-again, off-again boyfriend Brian Hickerson has responded to her death through his lawyer, though no details of that statement have been made public.
A life reclaimed through memoir in her final months
In the months before her death, Panettiere had been working to reclaim her own narrative through her memoir, in which she wrote candidly about addiction, abuse, motherhood and the difficult relationships that defined much of her adult life. The book's publication had brought renewed public attention to her story — and, in the aftermath of her death, brought her allegations against Neutrogena to a much wider audience.
An increasingly emotional and contested picture of her final days continues to emerge as authorities work to establish the full facts surrounding her passing.
