Taking what she’s learned as an in-demand fashion model to create a beauty brand inspired by her Indian heritage.
What does it take to build a beauty brand from the ground up while still walking the runways of Paris? Just ask Pritika Swarup. The international fashion model, Columbia grad, and now founder and CEO of Prakti Beauty, joined Karen Finerman on the How She Does It podcast to talk about the journey that brought her from being scouted at Disney World to boardrooms, and everything in between.
An Unlikely Path to Fame
Pritika grew up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, surrounded by doctors and destined, at least she thought, for a future in medicine. “Everyone else in my family is a doctor. We have cardiovascular surgeons, eye surgeons, growing up in that environment, you’re just naturally thinking that’s what I’m going to do,” Pritika recalled.
That plan took a sharp turn at 16 when she was scouted by a modeling agent during a family trip to Disney World. Within a year, she had moved to New York City, signed with a top agency, and launched her career as a fashion model.
Pritika has since become a sought-after model, working with brands like Ralph Lauren, Fenty Beauty, and Athleta, and amassing 1.2 million followers on Instagram along the way.
Education First, Always
Despite the glitz of her growing modeling career, Pritika never lost sight of one thing: education. “It was almost like a deal with my parents… There was never a question of not going to school because education is so important. I think that that’s something that no one can take away from you: Having your own power, your knowledge,” Pritika says.
She took two years after high school to travel internationally and build her portfolio. Then, she enrolled at Columbia University and leaned into financial economics. Between classes, late nights at the library, and modeling gigs around the world, Pritika was also learning something else: she might want to build something of her own.
Her last year at Columbia included an internship on the direct deals team at an investment firm, and the light bulb moment she didn’t see coming. “I was getting to work with founders and just understanding what it’s like to start your own business… they were so passionate and then it kind of opened my eyes to like, maybe I could do this.”
Building a Brand With Heritage and Heart
That idea evolved into Prakti Beauty, a clinically effective, Ayurvedic-inspired skincare brand rooted in the wellness rituals of Pritika’s Indian heritage. With the help of mentor and former Estée Lauder executive Daria Myers, and by investing her own earnings as a fashion model, Pritika launched the brand in 2021.
Their first product, PritiPolish, is a sensory-forward exfoliating powder that transforms to an amethyst hue when activated with water, designed to deliver both skincare benefits and a mindful ritual. “People love that surprising moment of this color,” Pritika says, “That was the first product I launched and probably the hardest. We went through so many iterations, and I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so I’m like, oh, it can be a little better, a little better. And so that can sometimes take you back.”
What’s Next for This Fashion Model Turned Founder?
Today, Prakti offers 10 beauty products and is stocked online and in major retailers like Goop and Credo. But Pritika isn’t stopping there. “ I’m hoping that we can expand across categories. I’m thinking more of a lifestyle brand in a way, because for us, it was never just about beauty and skincare. It was so much more this holistic approach to living,” Pritika says.
She continues to work as an in-demand fashion model, appearing on international covers of Vogue, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar, and recently signed with talent agency CAA to explore broader media opportunities.
“We’re even talking about doing a podcast, and there’s a lot of fun, different paths that I never thought that I could have,” Pritika says. “So, I couldn’t be happier.”
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