SAM+LEO was founded due to a lack of available clean products for teens. While shopping for toiletries for her son for sleep away camp, founder Dara Erck realized that there was a huge gap in the market. She spent a couple of years sitting with the idea and asking friends if they had a similar experience. When the answers were all a resounding “YES,” she decided to further explore the idea. With the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, Dara found she had more time to devote to this project and Sam+Leo was born.