Hayden Panettiere death sparks Neutrogena boycott calls

Actress Hayden Panettiere's death on August 16, 2026, has sparked a widespread call from fans for a boycott of the skincare brand Neutrogena, reigniting a controversy from 2015 over the termination of her endorsement contract. Within hours of the announcement of her death at age 36, social media platforms were filled with posts urging consumers to reject Neutrogena products in her memory.

The backlash centers on Panettiere's account, detailed in her 2026 memoir This Is Me: A Reckoning and a May 2026 podcast interview, of her relationship with the brand ending after she publicly discussed her experience with postpartum depression. Panettiere stated she had been the face of Neutrogena for about a decade before speaking about her mental health on the morning show Live! with Kelly and Michael in 2015. She alleged the company sought to end her contract due to a morality clause, though her representative intervened at the time. Panettiere wrote that when her contract eventually expired, "Neutrogena canceled my longstanding contract, and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else."

Following her death, fans flooded Neutrogena's social media accounts with...