Privacy Policy

Synthetica ABN [INSERT ABN] (‘Synthetica’, ‘we’, ‘us’, ‘our’) is committed to protecting the privacy of all individuals who interact with our website at synthetica.com.au (‘Website’). This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, disclose, store, and protect your personal information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) and the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs).

By using our Website or purchasing any product, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in this Policy.

1. What Personal Information We Collect

We collect personal information that is reasonably necessary to operate our business and provide our services. This includes:

1.1 Information you provide directly

• Full name and contact details (email address, phone number, delivery address, billing address);
• Payment information (processed securely by our payment processor — we do not store your card details);
• Account login credentials (email and password, stored in encrypted form);
• Communications you send us (support emails, enquiries, feedback);
• Age verification confirmation (we record that you have confirmed being 18+ but do not collect identity documents unless required).

1.2 Information collected automatically

• IP address, browser type, device type, and operating system;
• Pages visited, time spent on pages, and navigation behaviour (via Google Analytics 4);
• Referring website or search query that led you to our site;
• Cookie data and session identifiers (see Section 8 on Cookies);
• Purchase history and order data.

1.3 Information from third parties

• Payment processors may share transaction confirmation data with us;
• Shipping carriers may share delivery status and tracking information;
• If you engage with our social media content, public profile data may be shared with us through platform APIs.

2. How We Use Your Personal Information

We use your personal information only for purposes directly related to operating our business and serving you, including:

• Processing and fulfilling your orders, including dispatch confirmation and tracking;
• Communicating with you about your order, account, or enquiry;
• Sending marketing emails if you have opted in — you can unsubscribe at any time;
• Sending transactional emails (order confirmations, shipping notifications, password resets);
• Improving our Website through analytics and user behaviour data;
• Complying with our legal obligations under Australian law;
• Detecting and preventing fraud, abuse, and unauthorised access;
• Enforcing our Terms of Service.

We will not use your personal information for any purpose that you would not reasonably expect or that is incompatible with the primary purpose for which it was collected, unless you have given explicit consent or we are required to do so by law.

3. Legal Basis for Processing

We process your personal information on the following lawful bases:

• Contract performance — to process your orders and deliver products you have purchased;
• Legal obligation — to comply with our obligations under Australian law including tax, consumer protection, and anti-fraud requirements;
• Legitimate interests — to operate and improve our business, detect fraud, and ensure website security;
• Consent — for marketing communications, where you have opted in.

4. Disclosure of Your Personal Information

We do not sell your personal information. We may disclose your information to third parties only in the following circumstances:

4.1 Service providers

We share information with trusted third-party service providers who assist us in operating our business, including:

• Payment processors (to process transactions securely);
• Shipping carriers (Australia Post, Aramex, DHL — to dispatch and track your order);
• Email marketing platforms (e.g. Klaviyo — to send transactional and marketing emails);
• Analytics providers (Google Analytics — to understand website usage);
• Cloud hosting and infrastructure providers (to host our website and store data securely);
• Customer support tools (if applicable).

All service providers are required to handle your information in accordance with applicable privacy laws and are contractually prohibited from using your data for purposes beyond what we have authorised.

4.2 Legal requirements

We may disclose your personal information if required to do so by law, court order, or lawful request from a government or regulatory authority, including the Australian Taxation Office, law enforcement agencies, or the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC).

4.3 Business transfers

If Synthetica is involved in a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, your personal information may be transferred as part of that transaction. We will notify you via email and/or a prominent notice on our Website before your information is transferred and becomes subject to a different privacy policy.

4.4 With your consent

We may disclose your information for any other purpose with your explicit consent.

5. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers are located outside Australia (including in the United States and European Union). Where we transfer your personal information overseas, we take reasonable steps to ensure that the recipient handles your information in accordance with the Australian Privacy Principles, including through contractual privacy protections.

Key international processors include Google (Analytics, located in the USA) and Klaviyo (email platform, located in the USA). Both operate under Privacy Shield or equivalent data protection frameworks.

6. Data Retention

We retain your personal information for as long as necessary to fulfil the purposes for which it was collected, including:

• Order data: 7 years (required for Australian tax and accounting obligations);
• Account data: For the duration of your account and up to 3 years after account closure;
• Marketing data: Until you unsubscribe or withdraw consent;
• Analytics data: As configured in Google Analytics (default 26 months);
• Legal correspondence: As long as required by relevant limitation periods under Australian law.

When personal information is no longer required, we will securely destroy or de-identify it.

7. Security of Your Personal Information

We take reasonable steps to protect your personal information from misuse, interference, loss, and unauthorised access, modification, or disclosure. Our security measures include:

• SSL/TLS encryption for all data transmitted between your browser and our Website;
• Encrypted storage of account passwords (we never store passwords in plain text);
• Payment card data is processed entirely by our payment processor — we do not store card numbers;
• Access controls limiting which staff can access personal information;
• Regular security reviews of our systems and third-party providers.

No method of transmission over the internet or electronic storage is 100% secure. While we take all reasonable precautions, we cannot guarantee absolute security. In the event of a data breach that is likely to result in serious harm to you, we will notify you and the OAIC as required under the Notifiable Data Breaches (NDB) scheme.

8. Cookies & Tracking Technologies

Our Website uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to improve your experience and analyse usage. Types of cookies we use:

• Essential cookies — required for the website to function (shopping cart, login session, checkout);
• Analytics cookies — Google Analytics 4 to understand how visitors use our site (anonymised where possible);
• Marketing cookies — Meta Pixel and similar tools to measure advertising performance and enable retargeting. These are only activated after you provide cookie consent;
• Preference cookies — to remember your settings and preferences.

You can manage your cookie preferences through the cookie consent banner on our Website. You can also control cookies through your browser settings. Disabling certain cookies may affect the functionality of the Website.

9. Your Rights

Under the Australian Privacy Act 1988, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Access — you may request access to the personal information we hold about you;
• Correction — you may request that we correct inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated personal information;
• Deletion — in certain circumstances, you may request deletion of your personal information, subject to our legal retention obligations;
• Objection — you may object to our use of your personal information for direct marketing at any time by unsubscribing from our emails or contacting us directly;
• Complaint — you have the right to lodge a complaint with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) at oaic.gov.au if you believe we have breached the Australian Privacy Principles.

To exercise any of these rights, please contact us at support@synthetica.store. We will respond to all requests within 30 days.

10. Children’s Privacy

Our Website and products are not directed at individuals under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from anyone under 18. If we become aware that we have inadvertently collected information from a person under 18, we will delete that information immediately. If you believe a minor has provided us with personal information, please contact us immediately.

11. Links to Third-Party Websites

Our Website may contain links to third-party websites. This Privacy Policy applies only to our Website. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of any third-party site and encourage you to read the privacy policies of any external websites you visit.

12. Changes to This Privacy Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. The updated Policy will be posted on this page with a revised effective date. We encourage you to review this Policy periodically. Where changes are material, we will notify you by email or through a notice on our Website.

13. How to Contact Us & Make a Complaint

If you have any questions, concerns, or complaints about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact us:

OAIC (external): If we cannot resolve your complaint, you may contact the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at oaic.gov.au or 1300 363 992.

This Privacy Policy was prepared for Synthetica in accordance with the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and Australian Privacy Principles. It should be reviewed by a qualified Australian privacy lawyer before publication. Fill in all [bracketed] fields before going live.