Del Mar resident starts eco-friendly holistic wellness business

After her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer about five years ago, Del Mar resident Alyssa Pereira began researching ingredients in hygiene products and their impacts on health.

“I became very fascinated with how we can use nature as mouthwash and for floss, and for basically our oral care routine,” she said. “And it leaves no waste behind.”

That interest led to a business, Selflyss, that offers zero-waste floss made with compostable materials, coconut oil-based products for oral health and other eco-friendly options.

Pereira, who is originally from the east coast and has lived in California for about six years, said the goal of the business is to help people “return to a sense of being wholesome in our routines.” She was also motivated to “find an alternative that was cruelty free for the environment and the animals and our bodies.”

“I was kind of unlearning everything that I had already learned in my life,” she said, describing the research she did, which included studies that examine the effects of aluminum in antiperspirants and related topics.

“I was really shocked to see how many bad ingredients are essentially in every product we have in our house,” she added.

Pereira added that there had been no family history of breast cancer, leading her to scrutinize potential external factors. She was also influenced by a trip to India, where she studied Eastern culture, herbs and other practices.

“I hope to inspire people to minimize the products they have on their bathroom shelves and just remind them that we don’t need to create waste,” she said. “We also don’t need to use harmful chemicals in our mouths.”

Her mother is also now cancer free.

“We look at her journey as a blessing in disguise because it really made us evaluate our lives and how we are treating our bodies and the planet,” Pereira said. “It’s been such an awesome journey of expansion and becoming more compassionate for ourselves with the products we use.”

In addition to promoting a greater awareness of ingredients in commonly used products, Pereira also said her goals include encouraging consumers to use more eco-friendly products instead of single-use plastics and other items that end up sitting in a landfill. She also wants to expand her brand into stores.

“My dream would be for it to be as big as Listerine and Colgate,” she said. “I want to make nature the new conventional mouthwash.”

For more information, visit selflyss.com.