Privacy policy

When you take the diagnostic, we store your answers: skin characteristics you describe, concerns, habits, preferences, budget range, and — solely for ingredient safety — whether retinoid-type ingredients should be excluded (for example during pregnancy). We also store the skin profile and routine our system derives from those answers, and basic usage events such as which recommendations you viewed and which retailer links you clicked.

We do not ask for your name, email address, phone number or any account signup. Your answers are linked only to a random identifier stored in a cookie on your device — we cannot connect it to you as a person.

We set one first-party cookie: a random identifier that lets your results page work and helps us understand how the service is used. It contains no personal details. Your light/dark theme choice is stored on your device only. Our traffic analytics (provided by Vercel) are cookieless and aggregated. We use no advertising or third-party tracking cookies.

To generate your skin profile and routine recommendation (with your consent, given when you start the diagnostic); to keep unsuitable ingredients out of your recommendations; to compare retailer purchasing options; and to improve the service through aggregated, non-identifying statistics — for example, how common a particular skin concern is. Aggregated statistics never identify individuals.

Data is stored with our hosting providers: Supabase (database, hosted in the European Union) and Vercel (website hosting). These providers process data on our behalf under their own security and privacy commitments. Storing data in the EU means it leaves South Africa; we only use providers whose safeguards meet or exceed POPIA's requirements for cross-border transfers.

We do not sell personal information. We may share aggregated, anonymised insights (never individual profiles) with partners such as retailers or brands.

ClearSkin is a free service funded by affiliate commissions: when you click through to a retailer and buy something, the retailer may pay us a percentage of the sale. This costs you nothing — you pay the same price you would have paid arriving at their site any other way.

Our editorial independence is a design rule, not a promise: commission potential is never an input to product scoring, and it may only break ties between purchasing options that are already equally good — a rule that is enforced in our recommendation engine and recorded with every result. If a recommendation ever carries no commission for us, you'll see it anyway.

After you click through to a retailer, their website may set its own cookies (including affiliate-tracking cookies) under their own privacy policy, which applies from that point on.

Prices, stock levels and shipping costs shown on ClearSkin are collected periodically and may differ from what a retailer currently charges — the price on the retailer's website at checkout is the one that applies. We are not the seller: your purchase contract, delivery, returns and consumer rights under the Consumer Protection Act sit with the retailer you buy from.

Product suitability ratings (for example, how well a product fits oily skin or a particular concern) are ClearSkin's own editorial assessments, not manufacturer claims. Ingredient information is drawn from available product data and may lag reformulations — always check the ingredient list on the physical packaging, especially if you have known allergies. New products should be patch tested, and discontinued if persistent irritation occurs.

Diagnostic answers, profiles and usage events are kept while we operate the service, so that returning users' results keep working and our aggregated statistics stay accurate. You can ask us to delete your data at any time (see your rights below).

You may ask us what information we hold linked to your identifier, ask us to correct it, or ask us to delete it. Because we don't know who you are, include the identifier from your device: visit the site, and contact us from the same browser or include your results page link. Contact: privacy@clearskin.co.za. You may also lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa).

ClearSkin recommends cosmetic skincare routines based on what you tell us. It does not diagnose or treat any condition. For persistent or painful skin problems, please consult a pharmacist or dermatologist.

The diagnostic is intended for people aged 13 and older. If you are under 18, we encourage you to involve a parent or guardian, and our recommendations automatically exclude certain stronger ingredients for younger users.

If we change how we handle personal information, we will update this page and its version number. Materially different processing will require fresh consent in the diagnostic.