Don’t call Nikita Upadhyay an influencer—her career extends far beyond the curated grid and she is an expert in the substance and the style in the world of beauty and wellness.
Importantly, Nikita is endorsed by Hamptons beauty icon – Bobbi Brown.
With over a million followers, Nikita Upadhyay is a visible presence online—but her real credibility lies behind the scenes. A classically trained Bharatnatyam dancer, she brings discipline and artistry to her work, qualities that helped her become the youngest-ever digital head of Cosmopolitan India, where she grew the magazine’s audience from nine to 80 million. She’s also the best-selling author of Roots to Radiance and a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree.
Today, Nikita is the founder and CEO of the creative agency, UpRoot.
What sets her apart is the way she bridges worlds, drawing from her creative roots in India while navigating the global stage of media, fashion, and wellness. That duality—creativity grounded in strategy—shapes the way she approaches beauty, branding, and influence.
This is to say that Nikita knows beauty and marketing. So, let’s find out more about the latest beauty trend in the Hamptons (and the world): the Clean Beauty Aesthetic.
Is it simply marketing language, designed to soothe consumer guilt? Or is it a legitimate shift toward safer, more mindful choices in wellness and cosmetics? With her unique vantage point—both a marketer for major global brands and a voice for authenticity—Nikita is one of the rare people who can tell us what’s real, what’s aspirational, and what’s just clever packaging. She reminds us that much of what’s being rebranded as “new science” is actually inherited wisdom—helping us “realize that…grandmothers weren’t just superstitious, they were scientists.”
You’re a millennial (like me!) – what has changed in the world of skincare and beauty?
Millennials stripped the gloss right off beauty. We demanded receipts: transparency, efficacy, authenticity, and individuality. The old fantasy of flawlessness? Gone. Perfection is passé. What rules now is personality. A serum isn’t just a serum anymore; it’s an identity marker, a ritual, a lifestyle. Skincare stopped being about covering up and started being about showing up.
I know you answered this for New York Magazine, but let’s get this out of the way because my readers will ask. Seriously, why is your skin so good?
I spend most of my time with my client, Danuta Mieloch—founder of Danucera and Rescue Spa, my ultimate inspiration, ride-or-die, the queen of skincare, and quite literally the best facialist in the world. What else do you expect?
She gives me 0 days off from the D22 Tonic, and honestly, that alone will give you skin people stop you on the street for. And then there’s Cerabalm: my personal 8th wonder of the world. It’s not just a balm, not just a cleanser, not just a moisturizer. It’s beauty’s Swiss knife: one product, every purpose, no excuses. Remind me to send you one, David…you’ll never forgive me if I don’t!
What does “clean beauty” mean? How much of that term is marketing vs real?
Clean beauty is intention over indulgence. But let’s be honest: 60% of the term is marketing spin. When I sit down with clients who actually care about ingredient integrity, we often agree that the concept is solid, but it’s been hijacked and diluted by brands chasing trends.
Real “clean” isn’t about labels, it’s about the integrity of sourcing, formulation, and storytelling. It’s timeless, not trendy. And don’t get me started on “organic.” That word has been so over-abused it’s practically meaningless. Pig fat comes from nature. So does poison ivy. “Natural” doesn’t automatically mean good for skin or for the soul. The industry turned ‘clean’ into a buzzword; I turned it back into a standard.
What is Ayurveda and what is the history of “clean beauty” in Southeast Asia?
Ayurveda is the original blueprint for clean beauty. Not a fad, not a hashtag, thousands of years old, rooted in balance, ritual, and nature. In Southeast Asia, turmeric was never a “trend.” It was medicine, beauty, and soul-care all rolled into one. Meanwhile, the West is only now catching up to what my grandmother already knew.
If you want the unfiltered truth, read Roots to Radiance, the book I wrote to remind the world that you don’t need a lab, a luxury label, or a dermatologist to access power. It’s already in your hands, tucked inside ingredients so humble they’ve been hiding in plain sight. Yes, the philosophy is Indian, Indian-inspired but don’t mistake that for foreign. Every single ingredient I mention, you can find right here in the U.S. Beauty is an emotion meant to be practiced more than ‘to be bought’.
How did you decide you wanted to write Roots to Radiance—and what surprised you most while writing it?
I wrote Roots to Radiance because no one was connecting ancient wisdom with modern beauty in a way that felt chic, intelligent, and relevant. What surprised me most? That the world was starving for simplicity. For me, it was never a “project” it was a lived reality. I grew up watching my mother turn a kitchen into a beauty lab, where turmeric, ghee, and lentils were as sacred as they were effective. That rural Indian wisdom was my blueprint, long before it became a marketing buzzword in the West.
When I was running digital at Cosmopolitan, the beauty and wellness stories I wrote pulled the highest global traffic. That was my lightbulb moment realizing that small-town rituals could fuel big-city routines. Because authenticity travels. And sometimes, the most powerful innovation isn’t about inventing, it’s about remembering.
Your book became the #1 selling book on Amazon in 5 days of being published (congrats!) – what do you think readers resonated with so much?
The book didn’t hit #1 because it was trendy; it hit because people felt seen. Roots to Radiance wasn’t a lecture; it was a love letter. Readers recognized themselves in its pages, in rituals that weren’t intimidating or exotic, just deeply human. It proved something I’ve always believed: results and holistic living are not opposites; they’re partners. And the world reciprocated. That’s why it became a #1 bestseller in under 5 days of release. It also helps that I have a following on Instagram. There’s a chapter that has 50+ ways to transform your skin, hair and overall health in things you can do under 3 minutes…I guess I made it very hard for everyone to resist and NOT be a convert.
Can you give us any insights that you include in your book?
When people ask me about the insights I included in Roots to Radiance, I always say this: the wisdom wasn’t invented, it was remembered. I wanted to document the rituals I grew up with, rituals that looked ordinary in my mother’s kitchen but turned out to be extraordinary when you stripped them down to their science. For example, I wrote about hawans (fire rituals)—our rishis and seers weren’t just being ceremonial. Those flames, fed with specific herbs and oils, released vapors that entered the nervous system and calmed it. Imagine: what looked like “spiritual smoke” was actually neurotherapy.
Even something as simple as a bindi on the forehead has a physiological function; it stimulates the point between your brows, improving circulation and concentration. And mehndi (henna) wasn’t only pretty, it cooled the body, calmed nerves, and even acted as an antiseptic. Brides weren’t only adorned, they were biologically soothed before their wedding
What surprised me most while writing was how logical all of this was. From the echo of a conch shell killing germs and mosquitoes to lentils and clays outperforming phony products, the book became a way of proving that “tradition” was actually technology, just disguised in ritual.
That’s the kind of insight that resonated, because it makes people realize their grandmothers weren’t just superstitious, they were scientists.
How has your Bharatnatyam training influenced your approach to content and storytelling?
Bharatnatyam taught me discipline and drama. One of the toughest dance forms on the planet. It’s a dance form built on precision and emotion. That duality: structure with soul, is exactly how I approach branding and storytelling (and life). Every campaign has to be a performance worth remembering.
What does “inclusive beauty” mean to you, both online and personally?
It’s not a checkbox. It’s not a campaign slogan. Inclusive beauty means: everyone sees themselves reflected without needing to ask. Personally, it’s making sure my work uplifts people who’ve been edited out of the frame for too long.
Tell us about your work at Cosmopolitan – anything you miss about working in publishing?
Running Cosmopolitan digital was adrenaline. Constant deadlines, endless ideas, daily targets of a few million views (that’s right…and it’s something we achieved regularly and consistently), the thrill of shaping culture in real time. What do I miss? The energy of a newsroom. What don’t I miss? Having five minutes to eat lunch (if I was lucky). But, truly, such a phenomenal time.
The Hamptons has its own beauty culture: effortless, sun-kissed, and natural. How are the brands you work with connecting with that identity and aesthetic?
The Hamptons aesthetic is polished nonchalance; you glow without trying. Brands that succeed here don’t oversell; they whisper luxury. It’s skincare that fits in a beach tote and still looks good on a marble vanity. Like a Robert Pennino painting.
Many of your collaborations have global reach. What makes the Hamptons a meaningful place for you to create and connect?
The Hamptons is where influence and intimacy collide. You can have a champagne-soaked dinner with global tastemakers, then wake up to barefoot walks on the beach. That duality, the world stage with a small-town heart is what makes it special.
Do you notice any differences in how people approach beauty, wellness, and self-care on the East End compared to other places you’ve worked?
Yes. In the Hamptons, wellness is integrated. It’s not a trend; it’s everyday. People here don’t announce their self-care; they live it. Compare that to New York, where wellness can feel like performance art, though the real ones know how to regulate.
For Hamptons readers looking to travel to India – do you have any recommendations??
Go to Rajasthan for grandeur, Kerala for healing, and Himachal Pradesh for stillness. And don’t just skim the surface…immerse. Let India teach you patience, contradiction, and beauty that can’t be bottled.
How do New York and New Delhi compare as cities?
New York is ambition in motion. New Delhi is a history in heat. Both are chaotic, magnetic, and alive. But New York teaches you how to sprint; Delhi teaches you how to endure (while serving you the best food, sorry, New York).
What are some of your favorite aesthetic treatments?
I’m not loyal to many treatments, but the ones I swear by feel almost like a religion. It’s also worth noting that I’ve not tried any injectables yet:
– Rescue Spa facials: the gold standard of facials.
– At-home red light therapy with the Current Body LED Face Mask: my nightly reminder that self-care can be high-tech.
– Russian manicures from One L Professional. Precision so sharp it borders on art.
– Haircuts from Marc Ballance: because a cut should sculpt, not just snip.
– Lip blushes by Tatiana Yun because now I can just apply SPF on my lips and be good to go.
– Ultra Clear treatments from Dr. James Chelnis (Manhattan Face & Eye) when my skin needs that little push for perfection (annually).
