Ben Bennett on New Brand, Iskra Lawrence, Masstiege and Personal Care – WWD

Ben Bennett, Founder Los AngelesThe Center-based brand incubator, is presenting his latest business venture: Saltair.

It’s a personal care brand created in collaboration with Iskra Lawrence, a US-based British model and influencer with 4.9 million Instagram followers.

Bennett, an industry veteran who co-founded Hatchbeauty Brands (before selling his shares), said: “The centerpiece is an evolution of what I did in my previous life and oversees the fine arts. products at Gap Inc.

“The beauty, beauty The part of age is that you realize what you’re good at and what you’re not good at,” he continued. “I think what Center is now is it’s really an evolution of what I know. I’m good at identifying opportunities and creating sparks. In order for me to continue to enjoy what I’m doing, I always have to be active in that starting phase. So my team, the team that I built, who are very similar to me, and myself, we are really good at the early stages of a business. However, to bring something to life, I needed someone who was an entrepreneur, who had bigger wings than I had, and who really wanted to be at the forefront of what we created. I consider the Center to be really a support system for entrepreneurs that I truly believe in. ”

With Lawrence, whom he met through a mutual friend, Bennett is tapping into an existing community, an audience she’s slowly building, of people connecting with messages of body positivity. .

“The combination of my careers has allowed for the creation of communities based on self-empowerment, and where people truly value their bodies more than their size or appearance,” says Lawrence.

“She is a champion of this, especially for this younger generation, and within seconds of meeting we realized this felt so right,” Bennett said of the partnership. partner with the brand, offering body care products at relatively high prices.

Today, a shower gel, in sleek and colorful packaging, is sold direct-to-consumer in six scents and a fragrance-free option, each priced at $12. Next, they will launch a lotion product in February, followed by a deodorant product in May.

Lawrence explains: “When I think about the product of my dreams, it is a product that helps people who may feel like they don’t have enough or don’t spend enough time taking care of themselves. “What’s that like? I’m a new mom. The five minutes that sometimes I have a day, when I’m alone and that’s the moment for me, is in the shower. And taking care of my body is always the same. something that I feel is very formal, very much in need of priority. I cherish every part of my body, so I want to nurture it.”

She and Bennett aim to offer luxurious self-care (regarding the quality of the packaging and ingredients) at an affordable price point.

“It’s really the synergy of combining really proven skin care ingredients like niacinamide and retinol and alpha hydroxy or glycolic acid with exotic, gorgeous ingredients like,” says Bennett. kukui, seed oil, coconut oil”.

Why focus on masstige right now?

“I think the entire industry is looking at high volume or masstige, the space in between, for a couple of reasons,” he continued. “First, consumers, especially the younger generation, who are very interested in social media, are actually demanding more from brands. They are very vocal when they feel like they have been ripped off, when they feel something is more expensive than it needs to be.”

Additionally, COVID-19 “accelerates self-care moments… so there’s even more need for a truly smart product at a fair price,” says Bennett. “Retailers are looking at what personal care means beyond the traditional body and deodorant aisle, as we’ve all seen. That now extends to dental care, women’s care, sexual health, and sexual care and supplements. So the idea of ​​what personal care means today is different than it was five years ago. And for that reason, it’s the fastest-growing category for those big retailers. That is what we are aware of. ”

Founded in 2020, The Center (which owns Naturium, Phlur, and Make Beauty), received a $15 million minority investment from Prelude Growth Partners last year (which backs Westman Atelier and DpHue) ), as reported by WWD.