Neutrogena has responded after comments from late actress Hayden Panettiere resurfaced, in which she claimed the brand ended their decade-long partnership after she spoke publicly about her experience with postpartum depression.
In the wake of Panettiere's untimely death at age 36 on Aug. 16, Neutrogena has been subject to widespread backlash and calls for a consumer boycott. On Thursday, Aug. 20, it issued a statement saying it was "deeply saddened" by her passing.
"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."
"Hayden's courage in sharing her challenges helped inspire important conversations and awareness," the statement continued. "We are making a significant investment in 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."
Panettiere-who first rose to fame on NBC's Heroes-started working with Neutrogena in the mid-2000s.

#decade #thursday