Neutrogena Says Little About Panettiere’s Death

Actress Hayden Panettiere’s death reignited criticism of Neutrogena’s contract termination a decade ago, which surfaced earlier this year. The company responded minimally and may need to do more to quell the backlash.

Before the 36-year-old’s death, Panettiere said in interviews that Neutrogena “fired” her back in 2015-2016 after she spoke about her postpartum depression. She said the company pointed to a “morals clause” after the ten-year relationship. Since her death, fans are calling for a boycott, which analysts say may hurt in the short term but rarely has lasting negative results on sales.

When she made the claims, Neutrogena said nothing; now leaders saying little. An Instagram post reflects a minimal, clichéd crisis communication response: say you’re sad, acknowledge that you didn’t support her (the best part), and say it’s not who you are or what you stand for. Neutrogena also promises to invest in women’s health through a partner to be announced later and says it didn’t respond earlier “out of respect,” which feels dishonest.

The carousel message on Instagram is an odd choice. The additional two screens are easy to miss, and Neutrogena’s “on-brand” font seems out of place. As Rolling Stone reports, the company “stops short of apologizing,” and comments are turned off, as though users wouldn’t comment elsewhere.

Students may discuss what else Neutrogena should have done and can still do. They also may discuss the company’s responsibility. Some may believe the company is being unfairly scapegoated for a decision made a decade ago.

We also don’t know the whole story of the contract termination. We know Panettiere connected the decision to her speaking openly about her depression, but maybe Neutrogena had other reasons. Certainly the company shouldn’t argue the point now; nothing leaders could say would sway fans in their favor.

What might be best is to rise above the noise and focus on the tragic death of a talented, young mother. She tried to raise awareness about her struggles, which were real for her and are for many women.