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The Mysterious Mr. Bennett

Ben Bennett, one of the beauty industry’s most successful but lesser known executives, has seemingly cracked the code for incubating and accelerating influencer-inflected brands—and for selling them at just the right time.

Ben Bennett
A beauty veteran said that Bennett knows exactly when to exit, which is often before brands traditionally go to market. He’s not waiting for the $1 billion sale, an ego trap that many founders fall into. Photo: Courtesy of The Center
Rachel Strugatz
March 4, 2026

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Ben Bennett, taut and well into his 50s with an unmistakably airbrushed look, is one of the most successful beauty executives you’ve never heard of. “He’s very private. He likes to keep himself out of the narrative,” said a person familiar with his business. And yet, everyone in the industry knows his work. In 2020, he founded The Center, the trendy incubator that has generated endless intrigue and envy and many feelings in between. He has an aptitude for building brands alongside influencer talent that, somehow, outperform most of the usual made-for-Gen Z drivel. (A spokesperson for The Center clarified that the company refers to itself as an accelerator, not an incubator. Bennett declined to be interviewed for this piece.)