🔒 What we collect — and what we don't
Salima does not collect your name, email, phone, photos, or any personally identifying information. The app uses anonymous usage analytics to improve the product, and queries a public cosmetics database (Open Beauty Facts) when you scan a barcode. Ingredient-label photos are processed entirely on your device.
Overview
Salima ("we", "our", or "the app"), published by Essex Software, LLC, respects your privacy. This Privacy Policy explains what Salima does — and does not — collect.
What We Collect
Anonymous Usage Analytics
To improve the app, we collect anonymous metrics about how it's used:
- How often the app is opened
- Which features you use (scan barcode, scan label, view verdict)
- Verdict outcomes (safe, caution, avoid, unknown) — without product identifiers
- Crashes and errors
- Device type and iOS version for compatibility
None of this data is tied to your identity.
Apple Search Ads Attribution
If you tap an Apple Search Ads result and install Salima, the app performs a one-time check at install to determine whether you arrived via that channel. This is used only to measure marketing effectiveness, not to identify you.
Purchase Records
If you buy the one-time Lifetime Unlock, a record of the transaction is stored on our server for accounting purposes. The record contains the product purchased, country, and a transaction ID — no name, email, or payment details.
What We Do NOT Collect
- Your name, email, phone number, or any personally identifying information
- Photos taken with the camera — only the barcode value or extracted ingredient text leaves the camera view
- Access to your photo library
- Location data
- Contacts or calendar information
- Account credentials (the app has no login)
How the Scanner Works
Barcode scans
- Open Beauty Facts (a public open database) is queried with the barcode to retrieve ingredient information
- These services may log standard server access information. No personal data is sent.
Ingredient-label scans
- The image is processed on-device using Apple's Vision framework
- Only the extracted text is used by the pregnancy-safety classifier — on your device
- The photo is not uploaded or saved anywhere
- If a label scan identifies a product our database was missing, the barcode and the extracted ingredient text are saved to our product database — no photo, no personal data — so the next person who scans it gets an instant result
Local Storage
Your scan history and life-stage setting are saved on your device only. We don't have access to them. Clear your history any time from Settings or by uninstalling the app.
Third Parties
- Open Beauty Facts (openbeautyfacts.org) — public cosmetics ingredient database
- Apple StoreKit — handles the one-time Lifetime Unlock purchase
- Essex Software analytics server — anonymous app metrics
We do not share, sell, or rent your data.
Your Rights
You can:
- Stop the app from contacting our analytics server by uninstalling the app
- Clear your scan history from Settings
- Contact us at support@essexsoftware.com for any privacy question
International Users
- Compliant with GDPR, CCPA, and similar privacy regulations.
- The ingredient database queried (Open Beauty Facts) is a public service hosted internationally.
Children's Privacy
The app is suitable for all ages and does not knowingly collect data from children under 13.
Changes to This Privacy Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be:
- Posted on this page with an updated "Last Updated" date
- Effective immediately upon posting
We encourage you to review this Privacy Policy periodically.
Contact Us
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy or Salima's privacy practices, please contact us:
Summary
Salima collects no personally identifying information. We use anonymous usage analytics to improve the product, query a public cosmetics database when you scan a barcode, and process ingredient-label photos entirely on your device. Your photos and scan history stay on your phone.