Privacy Policy

This policy explains what data we collect when you use The Skin Adviser, why we collect it, who we share it with, and the rights you have over it. We have written it in plain English. If anything here is unclear, email us at admin@brandinhand.net and we will explain.

1. Who we are

"The Skin Adviser" is the trading name of the service that operates this website. We are a UK-based organisation and we are the data controller for the personal information described in this policy.

You can contact us about anything privacy-related at admin@brandinhand.net.

2. What data we collect and why

We only collect data we genuinely need to deliver your consultation and run the service responsibly. Each category below explains what we collect, why, and the legal basis under UK GDPR.

Account data

When you sign up, Clerk (our authentication provider) collects your email address and name. We use this to give you access to your account and to send you your consultation results.

Legal basis: performance of a contract — we need this information to deliver the consultation you paid for.

Consultation responses

During your consultation you tell us about your skin: skin type, primary concerns, age range, skin tone, allergies, sensitivities, products you have tried, and free-text descriptions of your skin history. Some of this is health-related information, which is treated as a special category of personal data under UK GDPR.

Legal basis: your explicit consent, given by completing the consultation, together with performance of a contract.

Skin photographs

You can optionally upload photographs of your skin so our analysis can take visible conditions into account. Photographs of your skin are special-category data under Article 9 of UK GDPR. We ask for your explicit consent at the point of upload and we only use your photographs to analyse visible skin conditions for your own consultation. We do not use them for marketing, we do not show them to other users, and we do not sell them to anyone.

Legal basis: your explicit consent for processing special-category data (Article 9(2)(a) UK GDPR).

Payment data

Payments are handled by Stripe. Your card number, expiry date, and security code go directly to Stripe and never reach our servers. We store only a Stripe session identifier and transaction reference so we can match your payment to your account.

Legal basis: performance of a contract, and our legal obligation to keep financial records.

Beta feedback and the waiting list

If you take part in the beta programme, the score, answers and any comments you leave at the bottom of your report are stored against your account and read by the people building the product. We use them to improve the service. We will not publish or quote your feedback without asking you first. If you join the waiting list, we store your email address only to tell you if more free places open; you can unsubscribe from any email we send.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in improving the service (feedback), and your consent (the waiting list — you ask us to email you, and can withdraw that at any time).

Product analytics

We record first-party funnel events in our own database — for example: consultation started, step completed, payment made, results delivered. We use this to understand where the consultation works well and where people get stuck, so we can improve it.

We also use Plausible, a privacy-first analytics service, to count visits and page views. Plausible sets no cookies and stores no personal data — it cannot identify you or follow you to other websites.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in operating and improving the service.

Advertising measurement (Meta)

We run adverts on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). To measure whether those adverts work, we use two Meta tools:

• Meta Pixel — a script that runs in your browser only if you accept it in our cookie banner. It reports events such as page views and checkout steps to Meta, along with technical identifiers like your IP address and browser information. If you decline, the Pixel never loads and sends nothing.
• Meta Conversions API — when you buy a consultation, our server confirms the purchase to Meta so we can see which adverts lead to sales. This includes the purchase amount and a hashed (scrambled) version of your email address.

We never send Meta your consultation answers, your photographs, or anything about your skin.

Legal basis: your consent for the Pixel (withdraw it any time — see section 6), and our legitimate interest in measuring advert performance for the purchase confirmation.

Technical and server data

Our hosting providers (Netlify and Cloudflare) produce standard server logs that include your IP address, browser type, and the pages you requested. These logs help us keep the site secure and diagnose problems.

Legal basis: our legitimate interest in the security and integrity of the service.

3. Sub-processors and third parties

We use a small number of carefully chosen third-party services to operate The Skin Adviser. Each one only receives the data it needs to do its job.

4. International transfers

To be straightforward with you: several of the services above are based in the United States, including Anthropic, Stripe, Clerk, Convex, Netlify, Cloudflare, Resend, and Meta. This means some of your personal data is transferred outside the United Kingdom. (Plausible is based in the EU and hosts its data there.)

These transfers take place under the appropriate safeguards required by UK GDPR. Depending on the provider, that means UK Standard Contractual Clauses, the UK International Data Transfer Addendum, or an applicable adequacy decision. You can read about each provider's safeguards in their privacy notices linked above.

5. How long we keep your data

We do not keep data for longer than we need it. Different categories have different retention periods:

• Consultation responses and results: kept for as long as your account is active, so you can return and re-read your consultation. Deleted when you close your account or when you ask us to delete them.
• Skin photographs: automatically deleted 30 days after you upload them. You can also delete a photograph at any time from your account.
• Payment records: kept for 6 years. We are required to keep financial records for this period under UK tax and accounting law.
• Server logs: kept for approximately 30 days by Netlify and Cloudflare, then automatically deleted.

6. Cookies and similar storage

We keep this list short and honest. Most of what we use is strictly necessary for the service to work — under PECR, that category does not need your consent. One thing is optional, and we ask first.

Strictly necessary (always on):

• First-party localStorage: we save your in-progress consultation answers in your browser so that, if you refresh or accidentally close the tab, you can carry on where you left off. We also store your cookie-banner choice here (under the key tsa_consent) so we do not ask you again.
• Clerk session cookies: Clerk sets cookies that keep you signed in.
• Stripe cookies: on the payment page, Stripe sets cookies to detect fraud and to operate its checkout securely.
• Convex connection: Convex maintains a real-time connection so the app can save your progress and load your results.

Cookieless analytics (no consent needed, because nothing is stored on your device):

• Plausible: counts visits and page views without setting any cookies and without storing personal data.

Optional — we ask first:

• Meta Pixel: an advertising-measurement cookie (including _fbp). It is off by default and only loads if you click “Accept” in our cookie banner. If you decline, your browser makes no connection to Meta and no Meta cookie is ever set.

To change your mind later, clear this site’s data in your browser settings — the banner will ask again on your next visit — or email us at admin@brandinhand.net and we will help.

We do not use Google Analytics, TikTok Pixel, or any other advertising or behavioural tracking beyond what is listed above.

7. Your rights under UK GDPR

You have a number of rights over your personal data. We will help you exercise any of them — just email admin@brandinhand.net and we will respond within one month.

• Right of access: ask for a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
• Right to rectification: ask us to correct anything that is wrong or out of date.
• Right to erasure: ask us to delete your data ("the right to be forgotten"). We will delete it unless we have a legal obligation to keep it — for example, payment records we are required to retain.
• Right to data portability: ask for a copy of the data you provided to us in a structured, commonly used, machine-readable format.
• Right to object or withdraw consent: withdraw your consent at any time, or object to processing based on legitimate interests. Withdrawing consent does not affect processing that already happened.
• Right to lodge a complaint: if you think we have not handled your data properly, you can complain to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) at ico.org.uk/make-a-complaint. We would prefer you contacted us first so we can put things right.

8. Children

The Skin Adviser is intended for adults aged 18 and over. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 18. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal data, please contact us and we will delete it.

9. Changes to this policy

We will update this page from time to time as the service evolves or when the law changes. The "Last updated" date at the top will always tell you when the policy was last revised. If we make material changes — for example, adding a new category of data or a new sub-processor — we will email account holders to let them know.