Safiya Nygaard

Early Life and Education

Safiya Jaffer Nygaard was born on July 16, 1992, in Santa Clara, California. She was raised in Chicago, Illinois, by a multicultural family that she has frequently discussed in her content. Her father, Niels Nygaard, is a Danish mathematician and professor, while her mother, Mumtaz Nygaard, is of Indian descent. Nygaard has a younger brother, Adil Nygaard.

Throughout her career, she has openly addressed her mixed-race heritage, notably in a 2015 video titled "When You Don't Look Like Your Parents," where she described her childhood understanding of race as simply knowing her "mom was brown and dad was white.".

Nygaard attended Whitney M. Young Magnet High School in Chicago, a selective public school known for its academic rigor and notable alumni. During her youth, she developed an early interest in the performing arts, participating in "The Young Company" and the CPS Advanced Arts Education Program in Theatre Arts. She graduated from high school in 2010.

Following her secondary education, Nygaard enrolled at Stanford University. She pursued a Bachelor of Arts degree, double majoring in Drama and English, and graduated in 2014. Her time at Stanford was defined by extensive involvement in the university's theater scene.

She was a key member of the Ram's Head Theatrical Society, where she served as a head writer for the 2013 production of Gaieties, a student-written musical comedy performed annually before the Big Game against UC Berkeley.

For her senior project in Theater and Performance Studies, Nygaard produced and starred in a production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof, playing the lead role of Maggie. She also performed in other university productions, including Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Crucible, where she portrayed Abigail Williams.

While at Stanford, she met her future husband and creative partner, Tyler Williams, though the two did not begin dating until after graduation.

After college, Nygaard moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in entertainment. Before her breakthrough at BuzzFeed, she worked various odd jobs, including a stint as a library intern at the Victory Gardens Theater and a sales assistant at Abercrombie & Fitch.

In 2014, she co-created, wrote, and directed a web series titled Tiger Dad Comedy, which showcased her early aptitude for digital content production. This period of experimentation laid the groundwork for her professional entry into digital media, leading to her hiring as a video production intern at BuzzFeed in April 2015.

University Theatre and Performance

During her tenure at Stanford University, Safiya Nygaard immersed herself in the institution's theatre scene, prioritizing performance and production over the digital content creation that would later define her career. Between 2010 and 2014, she was a fixture in the Department of Theater and Performance Studies (TAPS) and the Ram's Head Theatrical Society.

Her repertoire included complex dramatic roles that required significant emotional range, a skill set she later credited for her on-camera presence.

In March 2014, for her senior project within the TAPS program, Nygaard produced and starred in a production of Tennessee Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.

She played the lead role of Maggie "The Cat" Pollitt, a performance that the Stanford Daily described as a "fine job with a difficult role," noting her ability to navigate the character's desperation and tenacity. This production was directed by Michael Hunter and served as a capstone to her undergraduate theatrical training.

Her collegiate credits extended to other canonical works. She portrayed Abigail Williams in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, a role demanding high intensity and antagonism. also, she appeared in Les Liaisons Dangereuses and Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice, where she was cast as Portia.

These productions provided her with a foundational understanding of blocking, staging, and narrative structure.

Nygaard also participated in the "The Young Company" and the "CPS Advanced Arts Education Programme" in Theatre Arts prior to university, her time at Stanford marked her formal transition into producing, as she began to take ownership of the creative and logistical aspects of her projects.

Transition to Digital Media

Following her graduation in 2014, Nygaard initially planned to return to Chicago to pursue a traditional theatre career. yet, her trajectory shifted after she co-created a web series titled Tiger Dad Comedy. This project, which she wrote, directed, and produced, represented her significant foray into scripted video content.

The series allowed her to experiment with sketch comedy and digital storytelling, serving as a practical training ground for the production skills she would later refine at BuzzFeed.

The creation of Tiger Dad Comedy and the encouragement of a collaborator prompted her to move to Los Angeles, California, for what was intended to be a temporary summer stay.

Nygaard described this period as one of self-education, stating in a 2017 interview that she "learned everything from scratch" regarding film production, as her formal education had been strictly theatrical.

She taught herself the technical necessities of video making, including camera operation, lighting, and editing, bridging the gap between her stage experience and the demands of digital media.

Early Professional Credits

Upon settling in Los Angeles, Nygaard secured various internships and production assistant roles to sustain her career in the entertainment industry. In 2015, she worked as a production assistant on the "Revenge of the Commodes" episode of the series Bitch Please. She also made appearances in the sketch comedy show TMI Hollywood during the same year.

These early roles provided her with entry-level access to the Hollywood production ecosystem, though she remained focused on creating her own opportunities.

Her persistence led to a pivotal internship at BuzzFeed in April 2015. Hired initially as a video production intern, Nygaard entered the company at a time when its video department was expanding aggressively. Her background in writing and theatre distinguished her from other candidates, allowing her to quickly advance. By November 2015, she had been promoted to a full-time video producer.

Rise at BuzzFeed

Nygaard's early work at BuzzFeed was characterized by a willingness to appear on camera and a distinct comedic voice that blended self-deprecation with informative content. One of her viral successes was the video "When You Don't Look Like Your Parents," released in November 2015.

In this personal essay-style video, she discussed her mixed-race heritage, her father is Danish and her mother is Indian, and the confusion it frequently caused strangers. The video resonated with a wide audience and established her as a relatable personality within the BuzzFeed roster.

Her success as a producer was not limited to on-screen talent; she was also instrumental in the backend development of content strategies. She helped increase the subscriber count of the BuzzFeedYellow channel by approximately 1. 7 million during her tenure.

This period of rapid growth and experimentation laid the groundwork for her co-creation of the Ladylike series, which would formally launch in October 2015, cementing her status as a leading creator in the digital space.

Tenure at BuzzFeed

Safiya Nygaard joined BuzzFeed in April 2015, initially hired as a video production intern. By November 2015, she had advanced to a full-time role as a video producer for BuzzFeed Motion Pictures.

Her tenure at the company was defined by her co-creation and leadership of the "Ladylike" series, which became one of BuzzFeed's most successful unscripted properties.

Working alongside co-creator Fredricka "Freddie" Ransome, Nygaard developed a format that blended beauty testing, fashion experiments, and lifestyle challenges, distinguishing the series from other content on the platform.

The "Ladylike" series officially launched in October 2015. The show featured a core cast that included Nygaard, Ransome, Jen Ruggirello, Kristin Chirico, Chantel Houston, and Devin Lytle. Under Nygaard's production, the series focused on women trying "ladylike" activities through a modern, frequently humorous lens.

The content strategy proved highly; in 2016 alone, the series was credited with driving an increase of approximately 1. 7 million subscribers to the BuzzFeed Yellow channel. The group's chemistry and the relatable nature of their experiments helped establish a dedicated fanbase distinct from other BuzzFeed ensembles like The Try Guys.

Notable Productions and Viral Success

During her 15 months producing "Ladylike," Nygaard spearheaded several viral hits that solidified the series' popularity. One of the most significant successes was the video "Women Try Bizarre Runway Trends," released in February 2016, which accumulated over 15 million views.

Other popular uploads included "I Got Styled By Ladylike For A Week" and various beauty product tests. These videos frequently featured the cast members subjecting themselves to uncomfortable or unconventional fashion norms, a formula that Nygaard would later refine on her independent channel.

Departure from BuzzFeed

Nygaard left BuzzFeed in late January 2017. She publicly addressed her departure on March 19, 2017, with a video titled "Why I Left BuzzFeed." In the 14-minute upload, she a desire for greater creative independence, transparency with her audience, and ownership of her intellectual property as primary reasons for her exit.

She specifically noted that while she co-created "Ladylike," she was excluded from high-level decision-making regarding the brand's future, merchandise, and commercial partnerships.

She also expressed frustration with the company's policy prohibiting producers from replying to comments, which she felt severed the connection between creators and their viewers.

The "Why I Left BuzzFeed" video became an immediate viral phenomenon, amassing over 14. 9 million views by April 2017. It is widely credited with kickstarting a trend of creator departure videos, where former employees publicly aired their grievances with digital media conglomerates.

Nygaard's transparency regarding the corporate limitations on her creativity resonated with audiences, allowing her to transfer of her fanbase to her personal channel. By the time of her departure video's peak virality, her independent subscriber count had already surpassed 1 million.

Legacy and Impact

Nygaard's exit marked a turning point for BuzzFeed's talent model, highlighting the tension between individual creator brands and corporate ownership of digital content. Following her departure, other high-profile creators, including the remaining members of "Ladylike" and The Try Guys, eventually left the company to pursue independent ventures.

The "Ladylike" series continued for a period after her exit eventually ceased regular production as the original cast members moved on. Nygaard's successful transition from a corporate producer to an independent media entrepreneur established a blueprint for digital creators seeking autonomy in the platform economy.

Creation and Launch of LadyLike

In late 2015, while working as a video producer at BuzzFeed, Nygaard co-created the series LadyLike. Originally launched as a segment on the BuzzFeedYellow YouTube channel, the project was pitched by Nygaard and her colleague Fredricka "Freddie" Ransome.

Nygaard, who had joined the company as an intern in April 2015 before being promoted to producer that November, sought to disrupt the company's existing "revolving door" casting model. She proposed a consistent ensemble cast to stronger audience connection and parasocial relationships, a strategy that proved pivotal to the show's rapid growth.

The series officially premiered on November 23, 2015. The core cast featured Nygaard alongside Ransome, Kristin Chirico, Jen Ruggirello, and Devin Lytle, with Chantel Houston serving as a key producer and eventual cast member.

Unlike traditional beauty content of the era, which focused on tutorials and polished aesthetics, LadyLike prioritized "testing" and "challenges." The format involved the cast experimenting with bizarre beauty trends, historical fashion, and unconventional products, frequently highlighting the uncomfortable or humorous realities of modern femininity.

Viral Success and Metrics

LadyLike became one of BuzzFeed's most successful properties during Nygaard's tenure, driving significant viewership to the BuzzFeedYellow channel ( known as As/Is). In 2016 alone, the channel gained approximately 1. 7 million subscribers, a surge attributed largely to the series' popularity. The show's content strategy relied on high-concept "try" videos that generated millions of views within weeks of publication.

Notable viral successes from this period included "Women Wear Mom Jeans For A Week" (March 2016) and "Women Try The Ice Water Makeup Hack," which accumulated over 6. 3 million views. The series also produced "Women Try 'As Seen on TV' Hair Products," which surpassed 7. 1 million views.

By late 2016, the brand had expanded beyond video, influencing BuzzFeed's merchandise strategy and establishing a distinct identity separate from the parent company's other verticals.

Departure from BuzzFeed

even with the series' commercial success, Nygaard left BuzzFeed in January 2017. Her departure was driven by a desire for creative independence and disputes regarding intellectual property and transparency.

Specifically, Nygaard exclusion from high-level decision-making processes concerning the LadyLike brand she helped build, as well as concerns over the company selling merchandise attached to her likeness without her direct input.

On March 19, 2017, Nygaard uploaded a video titled "Why I Left BuzzFeed" to her personal YouTube channel. The video went viral, amassing over 15 million views and sparking a wider industry trend of creators publicly discussing their exits from large media conglomerates.

Following her exit, LadyLike was nominated for a Streamy Award in the "Non-Fiction Series" category in 2017, acknowledging the impact of the work produced during her time as a lead producer and cast member.

Departure from BuzzFeed and independent transition

In late January 2017, Nygaard departed BuzzFeed, ending her tenure as a video producer and co-creator of the popular series Ladylike.

Her exit marked a significant shift in the digital media environment, as she was among the high-profile creators to leave the company during a period that would later be characterized as the "BuzzFeed Exodus." For nearly two months following her departure, Nygaard maintained a relative silence regarding her professional status, leading to speculation among her audience.

During this interim period, she did not upload new content to her personal channel, which had remained largely dormant since its creation in 2011.

On March 19, 2017, Nygaard uploaded a video titled "Why I Left BuzzFeed," which detailed her reasons for resigning. The video became a viral phenomenon, accumulating over 15 million views and establishing a template for future creator departure announcements.

In the 14-minute explanation, Nygaard a desire for greater creative independence and transparency as her primary motivations. She articulated frustration with the corporate structure that creators from their audiences, noting that BuzzFeed discouraged producers from directly engaging with viewer comments.

This policy, she argued, created a barrier that prevented authentic community building.

A central point of contention involved intellectual property rights and the commercialization of the Ladylike brand. Nygaard revealed that while she and co-creator Fredricka Ransome had built the series from its inception, they were excluded from high-level strategy meetings regarding its future.

The dispute intensified when BuzzFeed began developing merchandise branded with the Ladylike name. Nygaard expressed discomfort with the company selling products attached to her identity without her having ownership or decision-making power over the brand.

She stated, "It felt like we were getting close to BuzzFeed being able to sell something under my name, which is not something I signed up for." This absence of equity in the intellectual property she helped generate was a decisive factor in her resignation.

The release of the explanation video catalyzed immediate growth for her independent channel. Prior to the upload, her subscriber count stood at approximately 1 million, a milestone she reached on March 2, 2017, largely due to her pre-existing popularity.

Following the video's release, her channel grew rapidly, surpassing 2 million subscribers by May 29, 2017. This surge demonstrated the viability of individual creators migrating their audiences from corporate media platforms to independent channels.

Nygaard's successful transition is frequently as a case study in the creator economy, illustrating how personal branding can supersede corporate affiliation.

In the months immediately following her departure, Nygaard established a distinct content strategy that differentiated her solo work from the short-form, listicle-style videos common at BuzzFeed.

She introduced long-form "investigative" beauty content, which she termed "Bad Makeup Science." This genre involved mixing large quantities of cosmetic products to create "Frankenstein" results. One of her earliest and most successful independent videos, "Melting Every Lipstick From Sephora Together," exemplified this format.

The video, which involved melting down over 600 lipsticks to create a single custom shade, garnered tens of millions of views and defined the analytical, experiment-driven tone of her new channel.

Nygaard also expanded her content scope beyond beauty, incorporating fashion history and trend analysis. Unlike the ensemble cast format of Ladylike, her independent videos featured her as the sole host, frequently accompanied by her then-boyfriend (later husband) Tyler Williams in a production capacity.

This shift allowed for a more personal narrative style, where she documented the entire process of her experiments, including the logistical challenges and failures. Her "style evolution" series, where she dressed according to different historical decades or aesthetic subcultures, further solidified her reputation for high-effort, research-intensive content.

Following Nygaard's exit, Ladylike continued production at BuzzFeed with the remaining cast members, including Ransome, Chantel Houston, Devin Lytle, Kristin Chirico, and Jen Ruggirello. In April 2017, shortly after Nygaard's public explanation, BuzzFeed moved the show to its own dedicated YouTube channel.

yet, the series struggled to maintain its initial momentum without its full original lineup. Over the subsequent years, the remaining cast members also departed the company, citing similar grievances regarding ownership and creative control.

The Ladylike channel eventually ceased active production, and in later years, the intellectual property disputes Nygaard had highlighted became a recurring theme in the broader discourse regarding digital labor rights.

Nygaard's transition proved that high-production value content could thrive independently of major media conglomerates. Her ability to retain and expand her audience post-BuzzFeed validated the "personality- " model of digital media, influencing a wave of subsequent departures from the company.

By the end of 2017, she had firmly established herself as a top-tier independent creator, with a channel trajectory that continued to ascend through the following years.

Solo YouTube Career

Following her departure from BuzzFeed in January 2017, Nygaard launched her solo career with a focus on long-form, investigative beauty and lifestyle content. Her transition was marked by the upload of "Why I Left BuzzFeed" on March 19, 2017.

The video, which detailed her desire for greater creative independence and transparency, went viral, accumulating over 15 million views within its month and establishing a dedicated audience for her independent channel.

Nygaard's solo content strategy quickly distinguished itself through high-production value "experiments" and deep dives into internet trends. She is widely credited with popularizing the "Franken-makeup" genre, a series of videos where she mixes large quantities of beauty products to create custom shades.

The series began with "Melting All My Nude Lipsticks Together" in August 2017. Her most successful installment, "Melting Every Lipstick From Sephora Together," uploaded in April 2018, involved melting 603 lipsticks and has since surpassed 24 million views.

This scientific yet chaotic method to beauty content became a hallmark of her channel, leading to similar experiments with foundations, highlighters, and candles.

to beauty experiments, Nygaard developed several recurring formats that drove significant subscriber growth. Her "Bad Makeup Science" series combined educational elements with entertainment, while her fashion content frequently involved historical research, such as wearing period-accurate clothing from different decades.

She also produced a popular series investigating targeted online advertising, purchasing items from "weird" ads on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Wish to test their quality and relevance.

Growth and Milestones

Nygaard's channel experienced rapid growth immediately following her solo debut. She reached 1 million subscribers in March 2017, less than a month after her explanation video. By late 2024, her channel had surpassed 10 million subscribers, a milestone celebrated by her community in January 2024. As of early 2026, her channel has accumulated over 2. 1 billion total views.

Business Ventures and Collaborations

Leveraging her "Franken-makeup" brand, Nygaard collaborated with ColourPop Cosmetics in October 2019 to release a limited-edition lipstick collection. The collection featured shades based on her viral mixing experiments, including "Fred" (a red shade) and "Berry Me in Lipsticks" (a berry shade).

The launch was highly successful, selling out quickly and prompting a restock in December 2019. In more recent years, she launched her own merchandise and fashion line, "Fiendish Behavior," which reflects her personal style and "spooky" aesthetic.

Studio and Relocation

In early 2021, Nygaard and her husband, Tyler Williams, announced they had moved from Los Angeles to Raleigh, North Carolina. The move was detailed in the video "We Moved Across The Country," uploaded in March 2021. Following the relocation, the couple purchased and renovated an old warehouse to serve as their dedicated production studio.

This expansion allowed for larger- sets and more complex video concepts. They also established a secondary channel, "Safiya & Tyler," which features livestreams, vlogs, and behind-the-scenes content, further diversifying their output.

Recent Content (2023, 2025)

, Nygaard has shifted towards a "quality over quantity" upload schedule, frequently releasing feature-length videos that resemble documentaries. Her 2024 and 2025 content included extensive travel and lifestyle investigations, such as "I Ate at 7-Elevens Across Asia" and "I Stayed At Every Hotel On The Vegas Strip." These videos, frequently exceeding 30 minutes in length, continue to garner millions of views, demonstrating high audience retention even with a less frequent posting schedule.

Throughout her solo career, Nygaard has received industry recognition, including multiple nominations at the Streamy Awards. She was nominated for "Lifestyle" in 2019 and " Person" in 2022 and 2023, cementing her status as a leading figure in the digital creator space.

Bad Makeup Science Series

In August 2017, Nygaard launched her signature content series, "Bad Makeup Science," which combines scientific methodology with cosmetic experimentation.

The series premise involves destroying large quantities of makeup products, frequently by melting or mixing them together, to create a "Franken" product that represents the "average" or "midpoint" shade of a specific category.

Nygaard adopts a laboratory aesthetic for these videos, frequently wearing a white lab coat and safety goggles while utilizing equipment such as beakers, hot plates, spatulas, and industrial molds. The series originated with the video "Melting All My Nude Lipsticks Together," where she combined her personal collection to create a custom shade.

Viral Experiments and Methodology

The series gained significant traction due to its destructive yet satisfying visual nature and Nygaard's method to beauty trends. In April 2018, she released "Melting Every Lipstick From Sephora Together," a video in which she purchased and melted 603 distinct lipstick shades sold at Sephora.

The experiment aimed to determine the retailer's "most marketable" color by finding the aggregate hue of its entire inventory. The resulting product, dubbed "Frankenphora," was a satin-finish berry shade. This single video accumulated over 25 million views and solidified the "Franken" branding as a core part of her channel's identity.

Nygaard expanded the format beyond lipstick to include foundations, highlighters, eyeshadows, and even non-cosmetic items like candles and soaps. For her foundation experiment, she mixed all her owned shades to test if the "average" would match her skin tone, resulting in a wearable satin-finish base.

Her experiments frequently highlight industry trends; for instance, the prevalence of pink undertones in Sephora's inventory or the repetition of lemon scents in Lush soaps.

ColourPop Collaboration

The commercial viability of the series was realized in October 2019 through a collaboration with the cosmetics brand ColourPop. The "Safiya Nygaard x ColourPop" collection translated her most popular DIY "Franken" shades into a mass-produced limited edition line. The collection featured six lipstick shades, each directly referenced from a specific video in her series.

The hero shade, "Berry Me In Lipsticks," was a laboratory-formulated recreation of the "Frankenphora" berry shade derived from the 603 melted lipsticks. Other shades included "Mrs. Norris" (a greige taupe) and "Screamer" (a deep burgundy), both of which originated from a January 2017 video where Nygaard created custom colors at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab.

The collection also included "Fred" (a classic red), "Bikini Bottom" (a pinky-nude), and "Brucie" (a teal-green). The collaboration was a commercial success, selling out shortly after its launch and prompting a restock in December 2019.

To promote the launch, Nygaard and ColourPop released a video titled "We Made The World's Largest Lipstick," documenting the engineering of a giant, functional lipstick tube.

Industry Impact

Nygaard's "Bad Makeup Science" series is credited with popularizing the "mixing" trend within the beauty YouTube community, where creators combine large volumes of products to observe the outcome. Unlike standard beauty reviews, these videos focus on the physical properties of the makeup and the sheer of consumption.

The series also demonstrated a shift in influencer marketing, moving from simple endorsement to product development based on viral content narratives. The "Franken" terminology became widely recognized among her audience, leading to fan-driven engagement where viewers would suggest new categories for "Frankening," such as body sprays or hand sanitizers.

Fashion History and Style Content

Safiya Nygaard has established a distinct niche within the beauty and lifestyle community by producing "fashion history" content that blends archival research with experiential learning.

Unlike traditional haul videos, her "Through the Decades" series and standalone style experiments frequently involve collaboration with costume historians, museum curators, and vintage experts to ensure accuracy.

This segment of her channel investigates the sociological and technological evolution of garments, frequently contrasting modern fast fashion with historical construction methods.

"Through the Decades" Series

Between 2017 and 2018, Nygaard produced a series of videos where she adopted the fashion, hair, and makeup trends of specific decades for a week. These uploads combined vlog-style documentation with historical context regarding the silhouettes and fabrics of the era.

In September 2024, Nygaard revisited this format with the video "We Went On 7 Dates In 7 Decades," where she and her husband, Tyler Williams, explored dating customs and attire from the 1900s through the 1960s. This project highlighted the evolution of social etiquette alongside the changing fashion standards.

Wedding Dress History

Leading up to her January 2020 wedding, Nygaard produced content that examined bridal fashion history. On December 6, 2019, she released "I Tried Wedding Dresses Through History," where she wore five authentic vintage gowns ranging from the Victorian era to the 1980s.

The video analyzed the shift from the heavy, restrictive fabrics of the late 19th century to the synthetic materials and voluminous styles of the 1980s.

Her personal wedding wardrobe also reflected this interest in design history. For her reception, she commissioned a custom black gown from designer Stephanie White of Odylyne the Ceremony, documenting the design and fitting process in the video "I Got A Custom Black Wedding Dress" (December 25, 2019). The dress featured "medieval" sleeves and celestial embroidery, merging historical

Business ventures and collaborations

Nygaard has leveraged her "Franken-science" content and "bad makeup science" brand into several commercial partnerships and a dedicated merchandise line. Her business activities are primarily channeled through her company, SAFTY LLC, and she has been represented by the digital talent management firm Night since May 2022.

Cosmetics collaborations

Nygaard's most prominent business ventures have involved translating her viral "Franken" experiments, where she melts together large quantities of products to find their average shade, into retail collections.

On October 3, 2019, Nygaard launched a limited-edition lipstick collection in collaboration with ColourPop Cosmetics. The collection was directly inspired by her "Bad Makeup Science" series and featured six shades derived from her mixing experiments. The shades included "Fred" (a classic red), "Bikini Bottom" (a nude pink), "Mrs.

Norris" (a taupe), "Brucie" (a blue-green), "Berry Me In Lipsticks" (a berry shade), and "Screamer" (a deep burgundy). The launch was highly successful, selling out quickly and prompting a restock on December 6, 2019.

In September 2023, Nygaard collaborated with Holo Taco, a nail polish brand founded by fellow YouTuber Cristine Rotenberg (Simply Nailogical).

The "Safiya x Holo Taco" collection was released on September 16, 2023, and included five limited-edition shades: "Spirit Fingers," "Brucie," "Feeling Fiendish," "Bat B*tch," and "Berry Me In Holo." The collection also featured a bat-shaped glitter pack and a crystal nail file. The collaboration box set sold out almost immediately upon release.

Merchandise and retail

Nygaard operates her own merchandise brand under the name "Fiendish Behavior." The line features apparel and accessories that reflect her "goth" aesthetic, bat motifs, and catchphrases from her videos. In later years, the brand expanded to include collections such as the "Bat B*tch Travel Club," sold through the e-commerce platform Juniper Creates.

to mass-market goods, Nygaard has occasionally facilitated sales for small businesses featured in her content. Following a January 2024 video in which she created a giant candle using every scent from Yankee Candle, she partnered with High Country Candles in Blowing Rock, North Carolina, to offer a limited run of hand-carved "YouTuber Carved Candles" for pre-order.

Sponsorships and management

Nygaard consistently integrates sponsorships into her long-form content. She has maintained long-term advertising partnerships with technology and software companies such as Honey, NordVPN, Opera, and Rosetta Stone.

In 2022, Cosmetify named her the highest-earning beauty influencer of the year, estimating her chance earnings per sponsored post to be significantly higher than industry averages due to her high engagement rates.

In May 2022, Nygaard signed with Night, a management company that represents top-tier digital creators. Her representation is led by manager Lili Colwell, focusing on expanding her business operations beyond traditional content creation.

Personal life

Nygaard is married to Tyler Williams, a fellow YouTuber and the founder of the creator platform Nextbeat. The couple met while attending Stanford University, though they did not begin dating until after graduation when they reconnected in Los Angeles in 2014.

Their relationship became a central part of Nygaard's content, with Williams frequently appearing in her videos and assisting with production. Williams proposed to Nygaard in December 2018 at the Snow White Grotto in Disneyland, a location significant to their early courtship.

The couple married in November 2019 at the Carondelet House in Los Angeles, California. The wedding was documented in a detailed vlog posted in January 2020, which featured their dance, a choreographed recreation of the tango performed by Gomez and Morticia Addams in the film Addams Family Values.

In late 2020 and early 2021, Nygaard and Williams relocated from Los Angeles to the East Coast. After a brief stay with Williams' family in Philadelphia, they permanently settled in Raleigh, North Carolina, in February 2021.

Nygaard the desire to be closer to family, a lower cost of living, and a need for a "reset" from the pressures of the Los Angeles influencer environment as primary reasons for the move.

During this period, Nygaard took a hiatus from uploading content, later disclosing in a blog post and video that she had been struggling with burnout, mental health challenges, and a sense of creative stagnation.

Nygaard frequently featured her cat, Crusty, in her videos. A former stray adopted by the couple in 2015, Crusty became a popular figure among her audience. He died in late 2021 at the estimated age of 21. In April 2022, Nygaard uploaded a tribute video documenting his life and passing. The couple subsequently adopted a new cat named Cosmo.

Nygaard has openly discussed her multicultural background, born to a Danish father and an Indian mother. She has stated that her upbringing in a mixed-race household influenced her perspective on identity, a theme she has occasionally explored in her work.

Awards and nominations

Since launching her solo channel in 2017, Safiya Nygaard has received consistent recognition from major digital media award bodies, particularly the Streamy Awards and the Shorty Awards.

Her work, which blends investigative journalism with beauty and lifestyle content, has earned her multiple nominations across various categories, reflecting her influence in the " person," "lifestyle," and "beauty" genres.

While she has frequently been a finalist against other top creators, her accolades highlight her status as a leading figure in the digital space.

Streamy Awards

Nygaard has been a regular contender at the Streamy Awards, an annual event honoring the best in online video and the creators behind it. She received her nominations in 2018, just a year after leaving BuzzFeed to pursue her independent career.

That year, she was nominated in the Beauty category, acknowledging her unique "Bad Beauty Science" series and other makeup-related experiments. She was also a nominee for the Audience Choice: Creator of the Year award, a category determined by public vote.

In 2019, her momentum continued with nominations in two major categories. She was recognized in the Lifestyle category for her vlogs and fashion experiments. also, she received a nomination for Creator of the Year, the show's top honor, placing her alongside other major internet personalities such as MrBeast and David Dobrik.

Her content remained relevant into the 2020s, earning her nominations in the Person category for both the 12th Annual Streamy Awards in 2022 and the 13th Annual Streamy Awards in 2023. This category specifically honors creators who feature themselves as the primary subject of their videos, a format central to Nygaard's personal and experimental style.

Shorty Awards

The Shorty Awards, which honor the best of social media, have also recognized Nygaard's impact. In 2018, for the 10th Annual Shorty Awards, she was named a finalist for YouTuber of the Year. This distinction celebrated her rapid rise on the platform, where she gained millions of subscribers within her year of independent content creation.

The award citation noted her "Bad Beauty Science" videos and her ability to blend curiosity with humor.

Other recognition

Beyond formal award shows, Nygaard has been recognized for her business success within the influencer economy. In 2022, the beauty comparison platform Cosmetify named her the highest-earning beauty influencer of the year. This ranking was based on estimated earnings per post across social media platforms, placing her ahead of other major beauty figures like Huda Kattan and James Charles.

List of awards and nominations