Privacy Policy | Velvet Aura

Effective Date: 31 May 2024

Velvet Aura ("we", "our", or "us") is committed to protecting your privacy and personal data in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR). This Privacy Policy outlines how we collect, use, store, and protect your personal data when you visit our website or use our services.

Who We Are

Velvet Aura is operated by Robyn Emerson, a sole trader based in the United Kingdom, trading as Velvet Aura. For the purposes of the UK GDPR, Velvet Aura is the Data Controller of your personal data.

If you have any questions about this Privacy Policy or how your personal data is handled, you can contact us at:
Email: team@velvetauraliving.com
Address: 14 Admiral Square, London, United Kingdom, SW10 0UU

Our website is hosted by Wix.com Ltd, which may process and store data on our behalf in accordance with their own privacy and data security policies. Data may be transferred outside the UK or EEA, and such transfers are safeguarded by appropriate legal mechanisms (e.g. Standard Contractual Clauses).

1. Information We Collect

We collect and process the following types of personal data:

a. Information You Provide Directly

Contact Information: such as your name, email address, phone number, and postal address when you fill in forms, sign up for newsletters, or make a purchase.
Account Information: if you register for an account, we may collect a username, password, and preferences.
Payment Details: if you purchase a product or service, we may process payment card information (via secure third-party payment processors).

b. Information We Collect Automatically

Usage Data: including your IP address, browser type, device information, referring URLs, pages visited, time and date of access, and other technical information about your interaction with our website.
Cookies and Tracking Technologies: we use cookies and similar technologies to collect information about your browsing behaviour. You can control cookie preferences via your browser settings or through our cookie banner. For more detail, see our Cookie Policy.

c. Information from Third Parties

We may receive information about you from third-party services, such as payment processors, analytics providers (e.g. Google Analytics), and social media platforms, depending on how you interact with our site.

Legal Basis for Collection

We collect and process your data under the following legal bases:

Consent – for example, when you opt into marketing emails or accept cookies.
Contract – to fulfill a service or purchase you've requested.
Legal obligation – where we're required to retain certain records (e.g. tax records).
Legitimate interests – to analyse usage and improve our services (balanced against your rights).

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your personal data for the following purposes:

To provide and deliver products and services you request, including managing orders, payments, bookings, and customer support.
Legal basis: Contractual necessity
To personalise your experience and display content relevant to your interests.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests
To improve our website, offerings, and customer service through usage analysis, feedback, and performance testing.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests
To send marketing communications, such as newsletters, offers, or updates — only where you have given your consent.
Legal basis: Consent
To respond to your enquiries, provide support, or follow up after interactions (e.g. via email or contact forms).
Legal basis: Contractual necessity or legitimate interests
To protect our business, website, and users, including fraud detection, network security, and enforcement of our terms of service.
Legal basis: Legitimate interests or legal obligation
To comply with legal obligations, such as tax, accounting, or regulatory reporting requirements.
Legal basis: Legal obligation

3. How We Share Your Information

We do not sell your personal data to third parties. However, we may share your information in the following limited circumstances:

a. Service Providers

We may share your personal data with trusted third-party service providers who perform services on our behalf, such as:

Website hosting and platform services (e.g. Wix.com)
Payment processors (e.g. Wix Payments, Stripe, PayPal)
Email marketing tools (e.g. Mailchimp)
Analytics providers (e.g. Google Analytics)

These providers only receive the data necessary to perform their specific services and are contractually obligated to keep it confidential and secure.

b. Legal Obligations and Rights Protection

We may disclose your information when required to do so by law, or if we believe such action is necessary to:

Comply with legal obligations or respond to lawful requests
Enforce our terms and conditions
Detect or prevent fraud, security issues, or technical problems
Protect the rights, safety, or property of Velvet Aura, our customers, or others

c. Business Transfers

In the event of a business reorganisation, merger, or transfer of ownership, your personal data may be transferred as part of the transaction — but only under conditions that protect your rights and data.

d. International Transfers

Some of our service providers (including Wix) may process your personal data outside the UK or EEA. Where this occurs, we ensure that such transfers are carried out with appropriate safeguards in place, such as:

Standard Contractual Clauses approved by the UK or EU
Adequacy decisions by the UK government or European Commission

4. Data Security

We are committed to protecting your personal data and implement appropriate technical and organisational measures to help ensure its security, integrity, and confidentiality. These include:

Secure web hosting through Wix with SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption
Firewalls and restricted access to personal data
Regular security assessments of third-party service providers
Data minimisation practices and periodic deletion of old data
Password protection and multi-factor authentication where applicable

While we take reasonable precautions, no method of transmission over the internet or method of electronic storage is 100% secure. Therefore, we cannot guarantee absolute security. We encourage you to take your own precautions to protect your data online (e.g. using strong, unique passwords).

If we become aware of a data breach that may affect your rights or freedoms, we will notify you and the appropriate supervisory authority (e.g. the ICO) as required by law.

5. Your Rights

Under the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have a number of important rights in relation to your personal data. These include the right to:

Access your data – You can request a copy of the personal data we hold about you.
Rectify your data – You can ask us to correct any inaccurate or incomplete information.
Erase your data ("right to be forgotten") – In certain circumstances, you may ask us to delete your personal data.
Restrict processing – You can request that we limit how we use your data, for example while we are verifying its accuracy or resolving a dispute.
Object to processing – You can object to our use of your data for direct marketing or where our lawful basis is legitimate interest.
Withdraw consent – Where we rely on your consent (e.g. for marketing), you may withdraw it at any time.
Data portability – You can request a copy of your data in a machine-readable format to transfer to another provider (where applicable).
Lodge a complaint – You have the right to raise a concern or complaint with a supervisory authority if you believe your rights have been infringed.

If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us using the details below:

Email: team@velvetauraliving.com

To protect your data, we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests.

If you are not satisfied with our response, you have the right to file a complaint with the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO):
www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

6. Use of Wix

Our website is built and hosted on the Wix.com platform. Wix provides us with the online tools necessary to operate our website, offer services, manage content, and process transactions.

When you use our website, some of your personal data may be collected and stored through Wix’s systems. This includes data submitted via forms, purchase details, account login information (if applicable), and analytics data. Wix processes this information on our behalf as a data processor under the UK GDPR.

Wix stores personal data on secure servers, which may be located in data centres around the world, including in the United States, Israel, and South Korea. Whenever personal data is transferred outside of the UK or EEA, Wix ensures that such transfers are governed by appropriate safeguards, such as:

Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) approved by the UK or EU
Adequacy decisions (e.g. for Israel)
Industry-standard encryption and access controls

For more details on how Wix processes and protects personal data, you can visit the Wix Privacy Policy.

7. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time in response to changing legal, regulatory, or operational requirements. When we make changes, we will revise the “Effective Date” at the top of this page.

If we make any material changes that affect how we collect or use your personal data, we will notify you in a clear and appropriate manner — for example, via email (if we have your contact information), or by displaying a prominent notice on our website.

We encourage you to review this policy periodically to stay informed about how we protect your information.

8. Contact Us

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests regarding this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal data, please feel free to contact us:

Email: team@velvetauraliving.com
Postal Address: 14 Admiral Square, London, United Kingdom, SW10 0UU

We will respond to your enquiry as promptly as possible, and always within the timeframes required under data protection law.