The Skin Expert
This Privacy Policy applies to all users of our website which is used to access and purchase our products and services.
The purpose of this Privacy Policy is to set out how, why, and when The Skin Expert uses your Personal Information so as to comply with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (“POPI”).
It is important that you read this Privacy Policy together with our other terms and conditions, privacy notices or policies we may provide from time to time when we collect or use your Personal Information. Further, please pay special attention to the clauses in this Privacy Policy that appear in similar text and style (i.e. bold) which:
- May limit the risk or liability of The Skin Expert or a third party;
- May create risk or liability for the user;
- May compel the user to indemnify The Skin Expert or a third party; and/or
- Serves as an acknowledgement, by the user, of a fact.
We respect your privacy and take the protection of Personal Information very seriously. We strive to deliver excellent service every time you shop with us, and to do this, we need to use some of your Personal Information. This Privacy Policy describes how we handle the Personal Information we collect about you and/or receive from you. By using our website, you agree to the processing of your Personal Information as set out in this Privacy Policy.
In this Privacy Policy, the terms –
- “Personal Information”, and “process/processing” bear the same meanings as set out in POPI.
- “we”, “us” or “our” refers to The Skin Expert.
- “you” and “your” refers to every person that accesses or uses our website also referred to as a user.
- “Registered user(s)” refers to anyone registered on our Platforms and has provided us with a unique username and password as well as other Personal Information in order to order goods on our website.
IF YOU ARE BELOW THE AGE OF 18
If you are below the age of 18 years, you must always get permission from your parent or guardian before you use our website or give us your Personal Information. We may check that your parent or guardian has given you such permission, for example by asking you to provide us with your parent’s or guardian’s contact details so we can contact them. We may also check that the contact details you have given us are correct and are the details of a person who is your parent or guardian. If we are not able to verify such permission or if a parent or guardian confirms that you do not have their permission, you may not use our website.
WHAT PERSONAL INFORMATION WE COLLECT AND PROCESS
The Skin Expert processes Personal Information in a manner that is reasonable, adequate, relevant, non-excessive and purpose-specific. For users to access and use our website we collect and process some Personal Information. When you become a registered user, we must collect and process your Personal Information to render our services to you.
When you register to use our Platforms, we may collect the following Personal Information:
- Name and surname
- Email address
- Physical address
- Billing address
- Mobile phone number
- Online identifiers
Should your Personal Information change or you wish to amend and/or correct this Personal Information you can do this by updating your registered user information in your account profile.
You warrant that the information you have provided is accurate, current, true and correct and that does not impersonate or misrepresent any person or entity or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with anyone or anything.
INFORMATION FROM USING OUR WEBSITE
When you access our website, whether or not you are a registered user of The Skin Expert, we process some of your Personal Information. Depending on how you access and use our website, we may receive:
- Log information, through online identifiers, including information on how, when and for how long you use our website and other services, the content you view and search queries you submit.
- Information about the equipment you use to access or use our website, including the type of device you are using, how you access our website, your browser or operating system and your Internet Protocol address.
- The geographic location from which you accessed our website, including your device’s global positioning system signal and information about nearby wifi networks and cell towers. We get this information when you use location-enabled services.
- Other information about you from third parties, such as social media.
WHY DO WE PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION?
We process the Personal Information we collect and receive to:
- Identify you
- Verify your identity
- Create a user account for you
- Enter into a contract with you
As a registered user, we also process your Personal Information in order to:
- Fulfill our contractual obligations to you when you have ordered goods for us to deliver those goods and process returns
- Provide you with information, products, or services you request from us
- Communicate with you regarding our website and provide you with information, products, or services, including billing, customer support, resolving complaints and quality control
- Notify you about changes to our website, services and products, terms and conditions, privacy policy or notices, and any other changes that impact our website, services, and products
- Send you information about competitions, products or services that may interest you (unless you have opted out of receiving such information)
- Get feedback from you which we need to develop our products and services and grow our business
- Comply with any legal or regulatory obligations such as tax or financial laws
- Undertake research and statistical purposes (research and statistics will not identify you)
RETENTION AND RESTRICTION OF RECORDS
We keep your Personal Information for as long as:
- We need it to provide our website, products, or services to you
- It is required or allowed by law and is in line with our internal retention policies
- It is necessary to uphold the contract between you and us
- You have agreed to us keeping your Personal Information subject to your request for us to stop processing it
By accessing and using the website, you consent to us retaining records of your Personal Information for no longer than may be necessary to achieve the purpose for which the information was initially collected or subsequently processed.
WHO ELSE GETS TO PROCESS YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We do not sell your personal information to third parties for their marketing or any other purposes.
We may provide or make your Personal Information available to:
- Our employees
- Law enforcement, government officials, fraud detection agencies or other third parties when disclosure is necessary for investigations or legal compliance
- Third parties involved in any reorganisation, merger, sale, joint venture, or similar transactions
- Service providers contracted to assist with our operations (e.g. marketing, tech services), bound by confidentiality agreements
- Our suppliers, to liaise with you regarding your orders
SENDING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION OUTSIDE SOUTH AFRICA
We do not share your personal information outside the borders of South Africa.
SECURING YOUR PERSONAL INFORMATION
We secure the integrity and confidentiality of your Personal Information in our possession or under our control by implementing reasonable technical and organisational measures. These include:
- Physical, technical, and network security
- Access control
- Secure storage, destruction, and encryption
- Breach reporting and remediation
- Confidentiality obligations with third-party processors
Should you disclose your Personal Information to any third party other than The Skin Expert, The Skin Expert shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from such disclosure.
KNOW YOUR RIGHTS
Once we’ve verified your identity, you have the right to:
- View and amend your Personal Information
- Request a description or copy of your Personal Information
- Request deletion or correction of your Personal Information
- Be informed if we change your Personal Information
- Be notified of unauthorised access
- Lodge complaints with the Information Regulator
You may exercise these rights via your account profile, which may include confirming your identity by email.
HOW TO LODGE A COMPLAINT WITH THE INFORMATION REGULATOR
If you have any complaints about this Privacy Policy or our compliance, you can contact the Information Regulator at:
🔗 https://justice.gov.za/inforeg/
This version replaces any previous privacy policies. Updates may be made from time to time. The latest version on our website applies.