The Center
The Center is a beauty and wellness incubator that acquires underperforming indie fragrance and beauty brands, rebrands them with capital and creative talent, and exits via sale to strategic buyers or private equity firms.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2019
- HeadquartersWest Hollywood, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What The Center does
The Center is a privately held beauty and wellness incubator founded in 2019 by Ben Bennett and headquartered in West Hollywood, California. The company operates a B2B incubator model: it acquires underperforming or undervalued independent beauty and fragrance brands, deploys growth capital and strategic/creative talent to rebrand and scale them, and exits through sale to strategic acquirers or private equity firms. The Center's anchor case study is PHLUR, a clean fragrance brand it acquired in February 2021, rebranded under influencer Chriselle Lim as Creative Director, and ultimately sold to TSG Consumer Partners in 2024 for over $150 million after growing the brand to $100–125 million in revenue.
The Center's portfolio also includes Saltair, a beauty brand launched in 2022 as the first internally originated brand, funded by a $15 million minority investment from Prelude Growth Partners received in December 2021. Portfolio brands are positioned around emotional, storytelling-driven marketing — notably organic social (TikTok-led) rather than paid advertising — and are distributed via wholesale channels including Nordstrom and Sephora following rebrand. The company is a small team (11–50 employees) with no disclosed proprietary technology stack; its core 'product' is the brand turnaround methodology itself, validated by the PHLUR outcome.
Revenue is generated through an equity-based incubator model: returns accrue from capital appreciation and eventual sale of portfolio brand equity stakes rather than from licensing fees or product sales at the parent level. With the PHLUR exit realized, future value creation depends on the scale of successor portfolio brands (Saltair and future acquisitions) and the firm's ability to replicate the PHLUR turnaround playbook. No pricing is publicly disclosed because the company operates upstream of consumers, transacting with brand founders and exiting to PE/strategic buyers.
The Center firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Center
- Legal name
- The Center
- Website
- https://thecenter.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2019
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- The Center is a beauty and wellness incubator that acquires underperforming indie fragrance and beauty brands, rebrands them with capital and creative talent, and exits via sale to strategic buyers or private equity firms.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Center industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Beauty Brand Incubation
- NAICS
- Cosmetics, Beauty Supplies, and Perfume Retailers (456120)
- SIC
- Investors, Nec (6799)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Consumer & Retail Growth Equity (FSANACAC)
Keywords
Where The Center is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Hollywood
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Markets served
The Center business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Incubator/Equity Model: The Center generates returns by acquiring equity stakes in independent beauty and fragrance brands, investing capital and strategic expertise to grow and rebrand them, then exiting via acquisition to larger strategic buyers or private equity firms at premium valuations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels1 record
The Center product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Center operates as a beauty incubator and startup accelerator that acquires underperforming or struggling indie beauty and fragrance brands, deploys growth capital and strategic rebranding expertise, then exits via sale to strategic buyers or private equity firms. The firm builds a portfolio of beauty brands, most notably acquiring and turning around PHLUR before its sale to TSG Consumer Partners, and launching new portfolio brands such as Saltair.
Product overview
The Center is a beauty incubator that builds, acquires, and grows a portfolio of beauty brands. The company operates as a platform that identifies, acquires, and scales beauty brands—most notably acquiring the fragrance brand PHLUR in 2021 and later launching Saltair in 2022. The portfolio strategy involves strategic acquisitions followed by rebranding and growth initiatives before brands are sold to strategic buyers or private equity partners.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Saltair A beauty brand developed and launched by The Center in 2022 as part of its portfolio expansion, built using capital from the Prelude Growth Partners investment.
- PHLUR A clean fragrance brand originally launched in 2015, acquired by The Center in 2021, repositioned and scaled under The Center's incubation (including Chriselle Lim as Creative Director), grown to $100-125 million in revenue, and ultimately sold to TSG Consumer Partners in 2024 for over $150 million.
Quantifiable outcome
- PHLUR grew from a failing brand to $100-125 million in revenue and was sold for over $150 million within 3 years
Companies that use The Center
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments1 record
Ideal customer profiles1 record
The Center technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
The Center partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Chriselle LimcoreInfluencer and creative director Chriselle Lim was appointed to lead PHLUR's rebrand after The Center acquired the fragrance brand. Her personal storytelling approach and social media presence drove the brand's viral success and turnaround.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
The Center competitors and assessment
Company assessmentMarket position
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks1 record
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Center financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Center leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
The Center funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Center M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments1 record
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Center
What does The Center do?
The Center operates as a beauty incubator and startup accelerator that acquires underperforming or struggling indie beauty and fragrance brands, deploys growth capital and strategic rebranding expertise, then exits via sale to strategic buyers or private equity firms. The firm builds a portfolio of beauty brands, most notably acquiring and turning around PHLUR before its sale to TSG Consumer Partners, and launching new portfolio brands such as Saltair.
Is The Center a public or private company?
The Center is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was The Center founded?
The Center was founded in 2019. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is The Center based?
The Center is headquartered in West Hollywood, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Center make money?
One revenue line is on record: incubator/Equity Model.
Does The Center have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Center.
What industry is The Center in?
The Center's product category is Beauty Brand Incubation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSANACAC, Consumer & Retail Growth Equity. Its NAICS code is 456120 and its SIC code is 6799.