Privacy Policy

Who We Are

Data Controller

Aunty Alma ("ALMA," "we," "us," or "our") is the data controller responsible for your personal information. We are a personalized hair care intelligence platform that uses your hair profile to deliver customized product recommendations, care routines, and styling guidance.

For data protection inquiries, contact us at:

What We Collect

Categories of Personal Data

We collect only what is necessary to deliver your personalized hair care experience. Here is exactly what we hold:

Identity Data

• Name and email address (provided at signup)
• Profile photo (optional, user-uploaded)

Hair Biology Data

• Hair texture type, curl pattern, porosity, density, and strand width (from your diagnostic quiz)
• Chemical treatment history (e.g., color, relaxer, keratin)
• Current style and care goals

Note: We treat hair biology data as sensitive personal information and process it only with your explicit consent.

Care & Journey Data

• Wash frequency and custom routine preferences
• Hair era timeline and journey photos (user-uploaded)
• Daily vibe checks and care reflections

Product Interaction Data

• Saved products and wishlist items
• Product feedback and dismissed recommendations
• Recently viewed products
• Scanner history (barcode lookups)

Home Feed Signals

• To improve recommendations, we record taps, dismissals, saves, and how far you scroll on the home page.
• Impression-level history — which cards your device has displayed — stays on your device and is never sent to our servers.
• Signals are retained for 12 months; deleting your account removes them immediately.

Device & Technical Data

• Device type and operating system version
• App version and crash/error reports (via Expo)
• General region (country-level, never precise location)

Note: We do not collect GPS coordinates, IP-based precise geolocation, or real-time location data.

How We Use Your Data

Processing Purposes

Your data serves one primary purpose: delivering the most precise, personalized hair care intelligence possible.

Core Service Delivery

• Generate personalized product recommendations using our proprietary scoring engine
• Build and maintain your hair biology profile
• Power the diagnostic quiz and style assessments
• Enable product comparison and compatibility scoring

Experience Enhancement

• Track your hair journey timeline and progress
• Personalize editorial content and care routines
• Enable product scanning and ingredient analysis
• Power the SOS emergency hair care recommendations

Platform Improvement

• Improve recommendation accuracy through anonymized usage patterns
• Debug technical issues and prevent errors
• Develop new features based on aggregate trends

The Local-First Architecture

Privacy by Design

ALMA is built on a local-first privacy model. This means:

• Your hair profile data is stored primarily on your device
• Product scoring and recommendation calculations happen on-device
• We minimize server-side data storage to what's essential for account management
• Cloud sync exists only for backup and cross-device continuity — you control it

This architecture means that even in the unlikely event of a data breach, the most sensitive aspects of your profile remain on your physical device.

Legal Bases for Processing

Why We Process

Consent

Hair biology data processing, optional notifications, and journey photo uploads.

Contract Performance

Account creation, service delivery, and product recommendations.

Legitimate Interest

Platform security, fraud prevention, and aggregate analytics for service improvement.

Who Sees Your Data

Data Sharing & Sub-Processors

We share your data only with essential infrastructure partners who help us deliver the service:

Infrastructure Partners

• Supabase (Database & Auth) — Stores your account data and manages authentication. Based in the US.
• Expo/EAS (App Distribution) — Delivers app updates and handles crash reporting. No personal data shared.
• Google Fonts (Typography) — Loads display fonts. No personal data transmitted.

Commerce Partners

• When you click an affiliate link (ShopMy, Rakuten, Impact), the retailer's privacy policy governs data collected during purchase.
• We never share your hair biology profile with commerce partners.

Your Rights

Data Subject Rights

You have the following rights regarding your personal data:

• Access — Request a copy of all data we hold about you
• Correction — Update or correct inaccurate data
• Erasure — Request complete deletion of your account and data
• Portability — Receive your data in a structured, machine-readable format
• Restriction — Limit how we process your data
• Objection — Object to processing based on legitimate interest
• Withdraw Consent — Revoke consent at any time without affecting prior processing

To exercise any of these rights, contact concierge@joinalma.app. We will respond within 30 days.

Children's Privacy

Age Restriction

ALMA is designed for adults aged 18 and older. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we discover that a minor has provided us with personal data, we will delete it immediately.

If you believe a minor has used our service, please contact concierge@joinalma.app immediately.

The Purge Protocol

Account Deletion

When you delete your account, we initiate a complete data purge:

30-Day Cooling-Off Period

Your data is securely archived and inaccessible to the platform for 30 days. If you change your mind, your rituals will be exactly where you left them.

Permanent Erasure

After 30 days, the following is permanently and irreversibly deleted:

• Your identity (name, email, authentication credentials)
• Your hair biology profile (porosity, texture, chemical history)
• Your care routines, journey photos, and product cabinet
• All behavioral data (viewed products, feedback, preferences)

Medical Disclaimer

Our Commitment

ALMA is a premium curation and information platform. Our recommendations are crafted by algorithms informed by texture science and ingredient research. They are not medical prescriptions, dermatological diagnoses, or clinical directives.

Always patch-test new products. For scalp conditions, allergies, or medical concerns, consult a licensed trichologist or dermatologist. We provide the ultimate blueprint — the final call is yours.

Data Retention

How Long We Keep It

We retain your personal data for as long as your account is active and you continue to use ALMA. Upon account deletion, your data enters a 30-day cooling-off period, after which it is permanently and irreversibly deleted.

We may retain fully anonymized and aggregated statistical data (e.g., "X% of users with Type 4 hair prefer deep conditioning products") that cannot be linked back to any individual. This data is used solely to improve our recommendation algorithms. We do not attempt to re-identify anonymized data.

Changes to This Policy

Version History

We may update this privacy policy from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the app or via email before the changes take effect.

Your continued use of ALMA after the effective date of a revised policy constitutes your acceptance of the changes.