Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

We collect information to provide better services to our fragrance community. This includes:

• Account Information: When you register an account, we collect your name, email address, password, and preference details such as your state and city.
• Usage Data: We track search terms, clicks on verified seller links, and interaction logs (like wishlist additions or review submissions) to personalize your experience and calculate search metrics.
• Device & Log Data: We may collect browser details, device type, and IP address for security and optimization.
• Review Session Identifier: When you publish a review, we store an anonymous session identifier — a random code generated by your browser. We use it for one purpose: to detect several accounts being operated by the same person to manipulate ratings. It is not a location, it does not identify you personally, and it is never shown publicly or shared. We do not store your IP address, device fingerprint, or location on a review. We delete this identifier 12 months after the review is published; the review itself stays up.

2. How We Use Information

The Scent Bureau uses the collected data for the following purposes:

• To maintain and personalize your account, wishlist, vault, and favorites profile.
• To compute Overall Clone Scores and seller Trust Score ratings based on community review statistics.
• To process search terms and suggest the most relevant reference perfumes and dupes.
• To send service-related emails, security alerts, and newsletters (with your consent).
• To detect review manipulation — for example, several accounts run by one person to inflate or attack a seller's rating. Only the anonymous session identifier described above is used for this, and only by our own moderators.

3. Information Sharing and Disclosure

We value your trust. We do not sell, trade, or rent your personal identification information to third parties. We may share information with:

• Verified Sellers: When you follow redirects or purchase links, the destination merchant console receives aggregate referral data. Your personal credentials are never shared with merchants.
• Service Providers: We use Supabase for database storage and Firebase for sign-in. Those are the only two services that receive your data, and each receives only what its job needs.
• No advertising or third-party analytics: we do not use Google Analytics, advertising networks, or any other third-party tracker, so no third party builds a profile of your visit.

3b. Cookies and what your browser stores

We set no advertising cookies and no third-party analytics cookies. Your browser keeps a small amount of information for the site to work at all: your sign-in session, your light or dark theme, your compare list, and a short-lived tab identifier that stops one page view being counted twice. Clearing your browser storage removes all of it and costs you nothing but a fresh sign-in.

We do record how the site is used — pages viewed, searches run, comparisons made, and clicks through to a seller — on our own servers, never a third party's. While you are signed in those records carry your account email so that your wishlist, vault and history work; while you are signed out they are recorded as a guest. Sellers never see your identity: their console shows a coded reference instead of your email.

4. Security of Data

The security of your data is important to us. We implement industry-standard encryption protocols via Supabase to protect your authentication credentials and database profiles. However, no method of transmission over the Internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

5. Your Data Rights

You have the right to access, update, or delete your account information at any time. You can manage your profile settings directly through the User Dashboard or contact us to delete your records completely.

6. How Long We Keep Data

We keep account information for as long as your account exists. Reviews you publish stay up until you remove them, or a moderator does.

The anonymous session identifier attached to a review is deleted automatically 12 months after that review is published. This runs on a nightly schedule; it is not something we do on request. Removing it does not affect your review, which stays exactly as you wrote it.

7. Grievance Officer

In line with India's Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, you may raise any complaint about how your personal data is handled with our Grievance Officer. We aim to acknowledge every complaint and respond within the timelines required by law.

Grievance Officer: [Name to be confirmed]
Email: grievance@thescentbureau.com
Address: [Registered business address to be confirmed]

This section is being finalised ahead of launch and will be updated with confirmed details.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy, please contact us via the contact form or at support@thescentbureau.com.