Cookie Policy

1. WHAT ARE COOKIES?

Cookies are small text files that are stored on your device (computer, smartphone, tablet) when you visit a website. They contain data such as unique identifiers, preferences, and browsing history. Cookies are placed on your device by the website you visit and/or by third parties with whom that website has integrated services.

• Session cookies: Temporary cookies deleted when you close your browser
• Persistent cookies: Cookies that remain on your device until they expire or are manually deleted
• First-party cookies: Cookies set directly by VitaYouth.store
• Third-party cookies: Cookies set by external services integrated into our website (Google Analytics, Stripe, Facebook, etc.)

2. SIMILAR TRACKING TECHNOLOGIES

In addition to cookies, we use similar technologies:

Web Beacons (Tracking Pixels): Tiny, transparent graphic files (1x1 pixels) embedded in emails, web pages, or ads. They track whether an email was opened, a link was clicked, or an ad was viewed. We use web beacons in marketing emails and on our website to measure engagement and conversion rates.

Local Storage (HTML5 Storage): JavaScript-based storage that allows websites to store larger amounts of data (up to 5-10 MB) locally on your device. Unlike cookies, this data persists until you clear your browser cache and is not sent with every HTTP request. We use local storage to remember your cart, preferences, and login status.

Device Fingerprinting: A technique that combines information about your device, browser, and operating system to create a unique identifier (fingerprint) to recognize you even without cookies. We use limited fingerprinting for fraud detection and to identify repeated abusive behavior (chargebacks, return fraud, etc.). This helps us protect against fraud while respecting privacy.

Advertising Identifiers: Unique identifiers provided by mobile operating systems (Apple IDFA, Google Advertising ID) to track ad performance and deliver targeted ads. If you use our mobile app, we may use these identifiers (if you permit). You can reset or opt out of personalized ads in your device settings.

3. WHY WE USE COOKIES

We use cookies and tracking technologies for the following purposes:

3.1 Essential/Strictly Necessary (No Consent Required)
These cookies are necessary for the website to function properly. They include: session management (keeping you logged in, maintaining your shopping cart), payment processing (securely transmitting payment information to Stripe and PayPal), security (detecting fraud, preventing unauthorized access), website functionality (loading pages correctly), and remembering preferences (language, currency). These cookies do NOT require your consent under GDPR because they are technically necessary to deliver the service you requested.

3.2 Performance and Analytics Cookies (Requires Consent in EU/UK)
We use these cookies to understand how users interact with our website. Tools used: Google Analytics 4 (tracks page views, user flow, traffic sources; data is anonymized by default), server-side analytics, and performance monitoring tools. Data from analytics cookies is retained for 12 months and then deleted or anonymized.

3.3 Marketing and Advertising Cookies (Requires Consent in EU/UK/CA)
We use these cookies to deliver targeted advertisements and track performance. Third-party services used: Stripe, Facebook Pixel, Google Ads / Google Marketing Platform, retargeting pixels, and email marketing platforms (Mailchimp, SendGrid). These cookies create profiles of your interests based on pages you visit and products you view.

3.4 Preference Cookies (Consent Required by Some Laws)
These cookies remember choices you've made: language and regional settings, currency preference, cookie consent preferences, and accessibility preferences (font size, dark mode, etc.).

4. COOKIE TABLE

Below is a comprehensive table of cookies we use, their purposes, retention periods, and whether they require consent:

ESSENTIAL COOKIES (No Consent Required)
• PHPSESSID / Session ID: Session cookie that maintains your login status and shopping cart. Expires when you close browser. First-party.
• CSRF Token: Security cookie preventing cross-site request forgery attacks. Session-based. First-party.
• __Secure-Stripe-mid / __Secure-Stripe-sid: Payment processing cookies set by Stripe for secure payment transactions. Third-party. Session-based.
• __Host-fp: Fraud prevention fingerprint cookie. Persists for 365 days. First-party.
• language_preference & currency_preference: Remembers your language/currency choice. Persistent. 1 year. First-party.

ANALYTICS COOKIES (Consent Required in EU/UK/CA)
• _ga / _ga_* (Google Analytics): Unique user ID. Persistent. 2 years. Third-party.
• _gid (Google Analytics): Session ID. Persistent. 24 hours. Third-party.
• _gat (Google Analytics): Rate limiting cookie. Session-based. Third-party.
• _analytics_token: Custom server-side tracking. Session-based. First-party.

MARKETING & ADVERTISING COOKIES (Consent Required)
• fr, fbp, _fbc (Facebook): Advertising and conversion tracking. Persistent. 90 days. Third-party.
• NID (Google Ads): Displays Google ads based on interests. Persistent. 6 months. Third-party.
• _gcl_au (Google Conversion Linker): Links conversions to Google Ads campaigns. Persistent. 90 days. Third-party.
• marketing_email_token: Tracks email marketing engagement. Persistent. 1 year. First-party.
• utm_source / utm_medium / utm_campaign: Campaign tracking parameters. Session-based. First-party.

5. HOW TO CONTROL COOKIES

5.1 Browser Controls: You can control cookies through your web browser settings (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge). IMPORTANT: Blocking essential cookies may prevent the website from functioning properly.

5.2 Cookie Consent Banner: When you visit our website for the first time, we display a cookie consent banner where you can Accept all, Accept only essential, Customize your choices, or Reject non-essential cookies.

5.3 Opt-Out of Specific Services: Google Analytics (install opt-out browser extension), Facebook (manage ad preferences), Google Ads (control ad preferences), Email marketing (click Unsubscribe).

5.4 Do Not Track (DNT): We do NOT currently honor DNT signals, but we provide multiple mechanisms for you to control tracking.

5.5 Withdrawal of Consent: You can withdraw your cookie consent at any time by visiting our website and adjusting the cookie banner, contacting support@vitayouth.store, or clearing cookies from your device.

6. THIRD-PARTY COOKIES AND PRIVACY

Third-party cookies are set by companies other than VitaYouth (Google, Facebook, Stripe, etc.). These companies have their own privacy policies that govern how they collect and use data. We do not control these cookies or how third parties use the data they collect. For information on how third parties handle your data, please visit their respective privacy policies: Google (https://policies.google.com/privacy), Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/privacy), Stripe (https://stripe.com/privacy), PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/privacy).

7. TARGETED ADVERTISING

If you consent to marketing cookies, we use your browsing and purchase history to deliver personalized product recommendations and ads across the web (retargeting or remarketing). You can opt out of targeted advertising by rejecting marketing cookies in our consent banner, using the opt-out links provided in Section 5.3, clearing cookies and browsing history, or using privacy-focused browsers/extensions that block ads.

8. MOBILE APP COOKIES AND TRACKING

If you use our mobile application, we use similar tracking technologies: app-level analytics (app usage, screens visited), push notifications (promotional or transactional messages), device identifiers (IDFA for Apple, AAID for Android) for analytics and targeted ads, and app permissions (location, camera, photo library) for specific features. You can control app tracking through your device settings (iOS: Settings > Privacy > Tracking; Android: Settings > Google > Manage Your Google Account > Data & Privacy > Ad Settings).

9. LOCAL STORAGE AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES

We use browser-based storage technologies beyond cookies: Local Storage (HTML5 Storage) for shopping cart persistence, login session tokens, user preferences, and recently viewed products; IndexedDB for offline functionality and caching; and Service Workers for offline functionality, push notifications, and caching. You can clear local storage data through your browser settings, typically alongside cookie deletion.

10. UPDATES TO THIS POLICY

We may update this Cookies Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, new technologies, or legal requirements. Any material changes will be communicated via email or prominent notice on our website. The Effective Date at the top indicates the most recent update. Continued use of our website after an update means you accept the revised policy.

11. CONTACT INFORMATION

If you have questions about this Cookies Policy or how we use cookies, please contact:

VitaYouth Solutions LLC
75 E 3rd St, Sheridan, WY 82801, United States
Email: support@vitayouth.store
Website: https://vitayouth.store

Response time: We aim to respond to cookie-related inquiries within 10 business days.