Privacy Policy

Last updated: October 25, 2026

This page explains what information Olfactionary collects when you use the Site, why, and how it's handled. We don't sell your personal data.

1. Information you give us

Account details: if you sign up, we store your name, email address, and a securely hashed password (or, if you use Google Sign-In, the basic profile details Google shares with us).

Where you came from: when you create an account, we also store how you first reached the Site: the campaign tags on the link you clicked (for example "instagram" and a campaign name), the website that referred you (domain only), the first page you visited, and which on-site prompt, if any, led you to sign up. We use this only to learn which channels bring in readers who join. It is saved with your account and is not shown to other users.

Content you post: comments, star ratings, wardrobe/collection lists (wishlist, owned, showcase), suggested perfumes, and any bottle photos you upload. Photos are reviewed before appearing publicly.

Search assistant documents: if you attach a file (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, or TXT) to the on-site search assistant, its extracted text is temporarily stored in your session so the assistant can answer questions about it. It is not permanently saved and is cleared when you start a new conversation or your session ends.

2. Information collected automatically

Analytics: we use Google Analytics (GA4) to understand how the Site is used, pages visited, general location, device type. This is aggregate usage data, not tied to your name unless you're signed in and Google's own linkage settings do so on their end.

Cookies and local storage. The Site uses a small number of cookies and your browser's local storage:

Session cookie (PHPSESSID): keeps you signed in and protects forms from misuse. It is needed for accounts to work.
First-visit cookie (olf_attr): on your first visit we save, for 90 days, the campaign tags on the link you arrived from, the domain of the website that referred you (if any), the first page you opened on the Site, and the time. If you later create an account, this is copied to your account as described in Section 1. If you never sign up, it simply expires. It contains no name, email address or IP address, is only readable by the Site, and is not shared with advertising networks. We do not set it for search-engine crawlers and other automated visitors.
Local storage: your light or dark theme preference and your current search-assistant conversation stay on your device and are not sent to us.

3. How we use this information

To operate your account and the features you use (lists, ratings, comments), to answer questions through the AI search assistant, to understand and improve the Site, and to communicate with you about your account if needed. We do not use your data for targeted advertising.

4. Third parties we share data with

We use a small number of third-party services to run the Site:

Groq, processes your search-assistant questions (and any attached document text) to generate answers.
Google Analytics, aggregate site-usage analytics.
Google Fonts, loads the Site's typefaces.
Bluehost, our web hosting and database provider.
Amazon Associates, CJ Affiliate, and Rakuten Advertising, if you click a "Buy" link, these affiliate networks may set their own tracking cookies to attribute the resulting purchase; we don't receive your payment details.

We don't sell or rent your personal information to anyone.

5. Public visibility

Some things you do on the Site are visible to other visitors by default: comments, ratings, uploaded photos (once approved), and your showcase list if you choose to make it public. Your email address is never shown publicly.

6. Your choices

You can delete the Site's cookies at any time in your browser settings; the Site keeps working, and you will be asked to sign in again. If you have an account and want the saved "where you came from" details removed, contact us (Section 9). You can clear an attached search-assistant document at any time from within the search panel. You can request a copy of your data, or ask us to delete your account and associated data, by contacting us (Section 9), we'll act on such requests directly, since the Site doesn't yet have a fully automated self-service option for this.

7. Governing law

Olfactionary is operated from India, and this Privacy Policy is governed by the laws of India, including the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023, to the extent applicable.

8. Changes to this policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time; the "Last updated" date above reflects the latest revision.

9. Contact

Questions about this policy, or requests regarding your data, can be sent via the Get in Touch page.