Hell hath no fury like a fanbase scorned — just ask those rallying around the late, wonderful actress Hayden Panettiere.
Less than an hour after the 36-year-old died on Sunday, August 16, fans of the actress took to social media to demand a national boycott of Neutrogena, the skincare company that worked with Hayden Panettiere from 2005 until 2015.
That’s when Panettiere first spoke out against the face wash giant for severing her contract, claiming she was “released” from her Neutrogena contract after speaking up against postpartum depression. The incident was discussed in greater detail in Panettiere’s 2026 memoir, “This Is Me: A Reckoning,” and on Jay Shetty’s podcast, On Purpose.
After disclosing her mental health issues on the morning TV show, Live With Kelly and Michael, Panettiere wrote in her book that “Neutrogena canceled my long-standing contract and it was yet another blow in a year that had given almost nothing else.”
Now fans are vowing to avenge Panettiere’s memory by boycotting the zit-zapping brand, at least according to outraged social media posts and market data.
“I will never buy one of their products again in my life,” wrote one crestfallen Redditor in a comment that has been up-voted over 5,500 times.
“I do use their products, but I will not be buying any more, ever again,” pledged another. “It may be just a small thing, but it matters.”
On Threads, Neutrogena’s own account has been besieged by Panettiere stans piling onto the brand’s most popular posts. “Friends don’t let friends go to bed without removing their makeup,” it wrote. “Friends don’t drop friends when they’re suffering, but hey,” snapped one responder.
On Google Trends, the term “Neutrogena boycott” has spiked over 5,000% in three days. On TikTok, more than 70,000 people have called for a brand ban in various video comments.
The skincare company did not respond to The Post’s request for comment.
It’s too soon to know if Neutrogena sales will swirl down the drain with the same speed as its Hydro Boost face wash. But stock prices for Kenvue Inc., the Neutrogena parent company that also owns Tylenol, Band-Aid and Aveeno, slipped over 2% on Monday due to overall sales numbers. The stock recovered some, but not all, of its value on Tuesday morning.
Strangely, this isn’t the first online scandal Neutrogena’s faced this month. Last week, fans noticed that current brand ambassador Tate McRae wasn’t actually using the brand’s best-selling makeup wipes in a makeup removal video on TikTok.
In response, one viewer asked, “Hi, is anyone with a car seat available to pick me up from the hospital tomorrow since it appears I was born yesterday?”
Neutrogena is currently discounted at Ulta Beauty, with prices hovering around 20% off their normal retail cost.
