SkinShare

This Privacy Policy explains how SkinShare ("we", "us", "our") collects, uses, stores, and protects your personal data when you use the SkinShare app and website (skinsharesocial.com).

SkinShare is operated from the United Kingdom by a UK-based sole trader. We are committed to protecting the privacy of all users regardless of where they are located, and we comply with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR) and the Data Protection Act 2018 as our primary legal framework. UK GDPR is one of the strongest data protection standards in the world, and compliance with it means your data is protected to a high standard wherever you are based.

1. Who We Are

SkinShare is operated as a sole trader business by Anna Lauder, based in the United Kingdom.

Data Controller: Anna Lauder
Email: admin@skinsharesocial.com
Website: skinsharesocial.com
ICO Registration Number: ZC134557

As a small-scale app at this stage, SkinShare does not have a Data Protection Officer (DPO), but all data enquiries are handled directly by the controller.

2. What Data We Collect

We collect only the data necessary to provide SkinShare's features.

Data you provide directly:

• Email address (used for account creation and login via Firebase Authentication)
• Username and display name
• Profile bio
• Profile photo (uploaded voluntarily)
• Product photos you upload to your Shelf
• Product names and "where to buy" links you add to your AM, PM, or Essentials routine

Data collected automatically:

• Firebase Authentication tokens and session data
• Firestore database metadata (e.g. timestamps on shelf entries and Circle follows)
• Firebase Storage metadata associated with uploaded images
• Basic diagnostic data collected by Firebase (e.g. crash reports, app performance) — see Section 7

Data we do not collect:

• Payment information (SkinShare is currently free to use)
• Precise geolocation
• Device contacts or camera roll access beyond what you actively upload

3. How We Use Your Data

• To create and manage your account
• To display your profile and Shelf (skincare routine) to users in your Circle
• To enable the Circle (follow) system and browsing of friends' routines
• To store and display the products you add to your AM, PM, and Essentials shelves
• To send account-related emails (e.g. email verification, password reset) via Firebase
• To improve and maintain the app (via anonymised usage analytics)
• To comply with our legal obligations

We do not use your data for advertising, profiling, or selling to third parties.

4. Legal Bases for Processing

• Contract (Article 6(1)(b)): Processing necessary to provide the SkinShare service you signed up for.
• Legitimate Interests (Article 6(1)(f)): To maintain app security, prevent fraud, and improve the platform — balanced against your rights.
• Legal Obligation (Article 6(1)(c)): Where required by UK law.
• Consent (Article 6(1)(a)): For any optional processing (such as optional profile fields). You may withdraw consent at any time.

5. Minimum Age & Younger Users

SkinShare is designed for adults and older teenagers with an interest in skincare. It is not directed at children. The minimum age to create an account is 16 years old.

• Users under 16 are not permitted to create an account. If we discover an account has been created by someone under 16, we will delete it promptly.
• We collect only the minimum data necessary for all users (data minimisation by default).
• We do not use nudge techniques or targeted profiling on any users.
• Profile information (bio, profile photo) is visible to other SkinShare users — please do not include sensitive personal information in your public profile.

6. International Users & Global Privacy

SkinShare has users based in multiple countries around the world. We want every user to feel confident that their data is handled responsibly regardless of where they live.

Our primary compliance framework is UK GDPR, which is one of the strongest data protection standards in the world. Complying with UK GDPR means we meet or exceed the core privacy requirements of most other countries.

All users — regardless of location — have the same rights under this Privacy Policy, including the right to access, correct, or delete their data. To exercise any of these rights, contact us at admin@skinsharesocial.com.

SkinShare is operated from the UK and governed by English law. Where local laws in a user's country provide additional rights beyond those described here, we will make reasonable efforts to honour them on request.

7. Firebase & Third-Party Services

SkinShare uses the following third-party services to operate the platform:

Google Firebase — our backend infrastructure:

• Firebase Authentication — manages sign-up, login, and secure sessions
• Cloud Firestore — stores shelf products, profiles, and social data
• Firebase Storage — stores uploaded product photos and profile images

Google Firebase processes data on our behalf as a data processor. Data may be stored on servers within the European Economic Area (EEA) or transferred internationally by Google in accordance with Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs). For more information, see Firebase's Privacy and Security page.

Open Beauty Facts & Open Food Facts — free, open-source product databases operated by the Open Food Facts Association (a non-profit organisation):

• Used only when you choose to use the barcode scanner to look up a product to add to your Shelf.
• When you scan or enter a barcode, that barcode number (EAN/UPC) is sent to retrieve the product name and image. No personal data is transmitted — only the product barcode number.
• This lookup is entirely optional. You can always add products manually without using the scanner.
• See the Open Food Facts privacy policy for more information.

8. Data Retention

• Active accounts: Data is retained for as long as your account is active.
• Deleted accounts: When you delete your account, we will delete your profile data, posts, and uploaded images within 30 days, except where retention is required by law.
• Firebase system logs: Retained by Google in accordance with their data retention policies (typically 90 days for diagnostic data).

9. Your Rights

• Right of access — request a copy of your personal data
• Right to rectification — correct inaccurate data
• Right to erasure — request deletion of your data ("right to be forgotten")
• Right to restriction — limit how we process your data
• Right to data portability — receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Right to object — object to processing based on legitimate interests
• Right to withdraw consent — at any time, without affecting prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, email us at admin@skinsharesocial.com. We will respond within 30 days. You also have the right to lodge a complaint with the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk or by calling 0303 123 1113.

10. Data Security

• Firebase Authentication with secure, hashed credential storage
• Firestore and Storage security rules to restrict data access
• HTTPS encryption for all data in transit
• No storage of passwords in plain text at any stage

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. We will notify you and the ICO in the event of a data breach that poses a risk to your rights, as required under UK GDPR Article 33.

11. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When we make material changes, we will notify users via the app or by email. Continued use of SkinShare after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated policy.

12. Contact Us

Anna Lauder
Email: admin@skinsharesocial.com
Website: skinsharesocial.com

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These Terms & Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the SkinShare app and website (skinsharesocial.com), operated by Anna Lauder ("we", "us", "our"). By creating an account or using SkinShare, you agree to be bound by these Terms. Please read them carefully.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By registering for or using SkinShare, you confirm that you have read and understood these Terms and our Privacy Policy, agree to be bound by them, and meet the eligibility requirements set out in Section 2. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use SkinShare.

2. Eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old to create an account. This minimum age applies to all users regardless of their country of residence.
• By creating an account, you confirm you are at least 16 years old. If we discover a user is under 16, we will terminate their account immediately.
• SkinShare is operated from the United Kingdom and is governed by English law. Users accessing the platform from other countries accept that these Terms and English law apply to their use of SkinShare.
• If you are accessing SkinShare from outside the UK, you are responsible for ensuring your use of the platform does not breach any laws in your own country.

3. Your Account

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and all activity that occurs under your account.
• You must provide accurate information when creating your account and keep it up to date.
• You must not create an account on behalf of another person without their consent, or share your account with anyone else.
• If you suspect unauthorised use of your account, notify us immediately at admin@skinsharesocial.com.

4. User Content

You retain ownership of any photos, product entries, profile information, or other content ("User Content") you add to SkinShare. By adding User Content, you grant SkinShare a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to store and display your content within the platform for the purpose of operating the service. We will not sell or commercially exploit your content.

By posting, you confirm you own or have the right to share the content, it does not infringe any third party's intellectual property rights, it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, and it does not violate any applicable law.

Content must not: be defamatory, offensive, hateful, or discriminatory; contain nudity, sexual content, or graphic violence; harass, bully, or threaten other users; constitute spam, fake reviews, or misleading product information; promote dangerous or illegal activities; or contain personal data of third parties without their consent. We reserve the right to remove any User Content that violates these standards, without notice.

5. Prohibited Conduct

• Attempting to gain unauthorised access to any part of the platform, Firebase backend, or another user's account
• Using automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access or extract data from SkinShare
• Impersonating any person or entity
• Manipulating or gaming the review or follow system
• Reverse-engineering, decompiling, or attempting to extract source code from the app
• Using SkinShare for any unlawful purpose

6. Intellectual Property

All intellectual property in SkinShare — including the app design, branding, logo, code, and original content — is owned by or licensed to Anna Lauder. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from SkinShare's content without our prior written permission.

7. Disclaimer of Warranties

SkinShare is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. We make no warranties that the platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure at all times, or that product information added by users is complete, accurate, or up to date.

8. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by UK law, SkinShare and its operator shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential loss arising from your use of the platform, loss or damage to data or content you have uploaded, harm arising from your reliance on user-generated reviews or product information, or any downtime, interruption, or failure of Firebase or third-party services. Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, or for fraudulent misrepresentation, as required under UK consumer law.

9. Profile Visibility & User Interactions

By adding products to your Shelf or making your profile visible, you acknowledge that your profile information, Shelf contents, and routine are visible to other users you are connected with. SkinShare is not responsible for how other users interpret, react to, or act upon content they see on your profile, or for any interactions, disputes, or outcomes between users. Please do not include sensitive personal information in any publicly visible field. We are a platform, not a participant in user interactions.

10. Third-Party Links

SkinShare allows users to add "where to buy" links to products on their Shelf. These links may direct to external websites entirely outside our control. SkinShare is not responsible for the content, accuracy, privacy practices, or any transactions on third-party websites. You access third-party websites entirely at your own risk. We recommend reviewing the privacy policy of any external site before making a purchase or sharing personal data.

11. Account Suspension & Content Removal

SkinShare is operated by a single individual without a formal moderation team. We reserve the right, at our sole discretion and without prior notice or liability, to remove any User Content that we reasonably believe violates these Terms, or to suspend or terminate any account where we have reasonable grounds to do so. If you believe your content or account has been removed in error, you may contact us at admin@skinsharesocial.com and we will consider your case in good faith. All moderation decisions remain at our sole discretion.

12. Service Availability

SkinShare is provided as a personal project without guaranteed uptime or service level commitments. We may suspend, withdraw, or restrict access to all or part of SkinShare at any time without notice, including for maintenance, technical issues, or changes to the service. We will endeavour to give reasonable notice of planned downtime where possible.

13. No Professional Advice

Nothing on SkinShare constitutes professional advice of any kind, including skincare, medical, dermatological, dietary, financial, or legal advice. Skincare routines and product recommendations shared by users are personal opinions only. SkinShare accepts no responsibility for any adverse reactions, skin conditions, or harm arising from following routines or using products seen on the platform.

14. Force Majeure

SkinShare shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance arising from causes beyond our reasonable control, including outages, failures, or changes to Firebase, Netlify, or any third-party infrastructure we rely on; changes in law or regulation; cyberattacks, data breaches, or security incidents affecting third-party services; natural disasters, pandemics, or other events outside human control; or internet or network failures beyond our control.

15. Termination

By you: You may delete your account at any time through the app. Account deletion is subject to our data retention policy (see Privacy Policy, Section 8). By us: We may suspend or terminate your account immediately, without notice, if you breach these Terms, engage in prohibited conduct, or if we are required to do so by law. Upon termination, your right to use SkinShare ceases. Content you have posted may remain visible briefly while deletion is processed.

16. Governing Law & International Users

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales. SkinShare is operated from the United Kingdom and is accessible to users globally. By creating an account, all users — regardless of location — expressly agree that English law governs their use of SkinShare and that any dispute will be resolved under English jurisdiction. Users are responsible for ensuring their use of SkinShare complies with any additional local laws that may apply in their own country.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the law, our services, or platform features. We will give you reasonable notice of material changes via the app or by email. Continued use of SkinShare after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

18. Contact

Anna Lauder
Email: admin@skinsharesocial.com
Website: skinsharesocial.com