Pritika Swarup is the Founder & CEO of the award-winning beauty & wellness brand Prakti, Global Ambassador for Operation Smile, International Fashion Model, and Ivy League graduate. Pritika received the Lifetime Achievement Award from Harvard University and the Global Innovator Award from FounderMade. The New York Post named her the 'World's Most Fabulous Financier', and L’Officiel USA named her 'Fashion It Girl'. WWD featured Pritika as the pioneer of the holistic wellness movement. Pritika received the New Beauty 100 Award for standing out as a true leader in the industry and was named ‘Beauty’s Next Boss’ by New Beauty. Pritika also received Operation Smile’s Changemaker Award, which recognizes her dedication to improving the lives of others and exceptional leadership.
Pritika is a powerful force across multiple industries, known for her expertise in holistic wellness, beauty, diversity, finance, entrepreneurship, and fashion. A highly sought-after speaker and panelist, speaking at prestigious institutions like Harvard, Brown, and Columbia universities and industry giants like The Estee Lauder Companies, Glossy, and FounderMade.
During her senior year at Columbia University, where she studied Financial Economics, Pritika founded Prakti while working full-time as a model to support her education. After recognizing a significant gap in the market for clinically effective, sensorial products that balance skin health, she self-funded her company to redefine beauty standards through holistic wellness. Pritika’s impact on the beauty industry has fostered a movement towards beauty that prioritizes overall health and well-being.
Prakti is committed to the highest standards of innovation, clean beauty, and sustainability. Pritika’s unique approach prioritizes scientific ingenuity in the form of advanced actives, innovative processing, functional aromas, and revitalizing sensations. Each product is designed with cutting-edge technology—whether it's a color-changing formula or a non-drying detoxifying clay mask that avoids the historically unpleasant skin-tightening, drying effect.
The brand's success is reflected in its rapid growth, including a 4x increase in sales from 2022 to 2023, a 422% surge in users, and a 385% rise in subscribers, selling out after The Today Show, making it increasingly popular among Gen Z and Millennials.
Her modeling career includes campaigns for Ralph Lauren, Abercrombie & Fitch, Intimissimi, Escada, Prabal Gurung, Estée Lauder, Athleta, Fenty Beauty, and many more. She has also appeared on the covers and been featured in top international magazines including Vogue, Elle, Harper’s Bazaar, L’Officiel, Ocean Drive, Hamptons Magazine, and Numero. Pritika has also been featured on The Today Show's She Made It segment, CNN, Access Hollywood, NBC, and on Fox’s Good Day New York on various occasions.
Immensely passionate about humanitarian causes, she uses her voice and platform to positively transform the lives of children worldwide. As a Global Ambassador for Operation Smile, the international non-profit providing free corrective surgeries and support to children and adults born with a cleft lip or palate, Pritika has led international fundraising efforts, participated in medical missions around the world, and partnered with brands like Veronica Beard to raise over $350,000 for cleft surgeries. Pritika first became involved in her early teens, volunteering for the local chapter in her hometown of Virginia Beach, VA, and her passion for the cause only grew with time.
Pritika developed The Suman Saroj Initiative to empower craftswomen in Lucknow, India, creating sustainable income opportunities for hundreds of women and preserving artisanal crafts. She also addressed the UN on women's rights, urging the fashion industry to spotlight global humanitarian causes. Pritika’s influence extends far beyond beauty, consistently shattering barriers and driving social impact through her entrepreneurial ventures and lifelong philanthropic endeavors. Pritika graduated with honors from Columbia University, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Financial Economics. She was accepted into the MBA program at Columbia Business School.
