OUR STORY
Breeze Balm was created as a family secret lip balm formula and has evolved into a brand that is renowned and loved around the world. Sammy Leo is the founder of Breeze Balm. She grew up in a small town in Dunedin, New Zealand. Here is snippet of how it all came to be!
In the 1950's the secret family lip balm formula was created and made by Sammy's Grandad. The formulation for a hydrating, soothing lip balm was used by many locals, friends and family members and handmade by Sammy’s Grandfather and sold in the family owned pharmacy. In the 1980's Sammy's Grandfather passed on the formula to his son in law, Sammy's Father. Over the years to follow, the balm attracted many loyal customers. While Sammy worked during school holidays in the family pharmacy, There was one thing that always stood out to her with the customers she met. The customers would rave and rave about how incredible the lip balm was.
Fast forward to 2007, when Sammy moved from her hometown, Dunedin, to Australia. One of Sammy's biggest passions is dancing and to pursue her dream she moved to Sydney, Australia with her family secret lip balm in hand. A daunting endeavour for a 18 year old moving to a new country where she knew no one. In late 2014 Sammy's family took a huge step and sold their Pharmacy. Sammy soon realised the supply of her little pot of gold would soon run out. She was not the only one, many locals, friends and extended families were desperate to restock the famous balm that they couldn’t live without.
Between the time of the pharmacy being sold and Sammy moving to Australia was moment that Sammy realised - the balm she grew up with was very special. She wanted to share it with the world. She wanted to create a brand that had a piece of her heart, she wanted it to be bright and bubbly but also included her absolute love for the beach, sun and the tropical family holidays she used to take when she was younger. That’s where the name Breeze Balm was created in 2016. The bright colours and the tropical scents. But it wasn’t that simple. To Sammy, Breeze Balm is so much more than a lip balm. It is a piece of her. She wants to inspire others to feel confident in their own skin, a smile is the most beautiful part of a person. It can light up a room, turn someone's day around, comfort a stranger, entertain someone, it can show love. It's infectious.
Breeze Balm saw to major rebrand in 2018 which was a huge success. Not long after this in 2019, OHLEO Cosmetics was created by Sammy Leonard & Petra Leonard, sisters from Dunedin, New Zealand. From a young age both sisters were obsessed with playing with make-up and creating fun, different looks that made them feel their inner strength. This love of make-up inspired the sisters to create their own cosmetic line that truly highlighted this feeling of empowerment. OHLEO Cosmetics is made with the highest quality ingredients, is rich in pigment and will be forever cruelty free.