Merz Aesthetics Privacy Policy
Effective date: 4th July, 2024
Merz Aesthetics (or “us”, “we” and “our”) values privacy and is committed to sharing how Merz Aesthetics collects, uses, shares, secures and retains/deletes your personal information. This Privacy Policy describes how a company/entity of Merz Aesthetics located within the Asia Pacific region (“Region”) handles personal information, what data we collect, why we collect it, and with whom we share it.
If you are from a country outside the Region, please visit merzaesthetics.com to identify the affiliate that does business where you live.
Responsibility
Merz Aesthetics takes responsibility for processing personal information about you that is collected or otherwise used as you use this website (“Site”) or in services provided by Merz Aesthetics in the process of conducting general business (“Services”). Trust is an important Merz Aesthetics value, and we aim to earn your trust not just by providing safe, effective pharmaceuticals and medical devices but also by responsibly managing your personal information.
Why We Process Personal Information
Like most companies, we process your personal information for legitimate and lawful reasons related to providing our goods and services to you. We describe the data we process and the reasons for doing so below.
Merz Aesthetics adheres to applicable local and regional privacy laws in the countries where we do business. We process your personal information in adherence with the local legal provisions applicable to the respective Merz Aesthetics company/entity. In the event any of the provisions in this Privacy Policy are inconsistent with the local legal provisions applicable to the respective Merz Aesthetics company/entity, such local legal provisions will prevail to the extent of the inconsistency.
Types of Information We Collect About You
Personal information is information or data about an individual who can be identified (a) from that data; or (b) from that data and other information to which Merz Aesthetics has or is likely to have access. Merz Aesthetics collects the following types of information and/or personal information:
- Contact and Basic Information
- Registration Information
- Financial Information
- Marketing Data
- Client Service Information
- Device Data
- Job Applicant Data
Sources of Personal Information
All categories of personal information may be collected for our general business use (“General Business Use”), including but not limited to:
- Through a consumer or physician portal(s)
- From visitors to a Merz Aesthetics website or application
- From those who apply to work at Merz Aesthetics
- To complete a sales transaction
- To honor an agreement or contract between you and Merz Aesthetics
- To protect the security and integrity of our websites, mobile services, and our business
- To comply with legal and/or regulatory requirements
- To conduct clinical and research operations
- To respond to reviews, requests, comments, or other feedback you provide us; and
- To, if necessary, prosecute or defend a legal claim
Purposes for which Merz Aesthetics uses Personal Information
The purposes for which Merz Aesthetics uses personal information and the basis for such use are:
- Management of our business operations
- Communication and Public Relations
- Marketing and Sales
- System Administration and Data security
- Compliance with Legal and Regulatory Obligations
- Clinical Operations
(See table below for more detail as to how we use personal information)
Sharing Your Personal information
Merz Aesthetics does not sell, trade, or rent data to third-party organizations. Merz Aesthetics will share your personal information with third-party organizations with which we partner to provide you with Merz Aesthetics products and services, and as described in the table provided below. Merz Aesthetics may share personal information with third parties to help manage our business and provide goods and services to our customers. Merz Aesthetics may use service providers to host, maintain, and operate the websites, manage social media profiles, send communications, conduct research, manage, and analyze data. If we share your personal information with third-party service providers, we do not authorize them to use or disclose it for any purpose other than the intended purpose.
Cookie Technology
Cookies are small text files that are stored on your computer or server that exchange settings-related information with Merz Aesthetics’ systems. A cookie normally contains the name of the domain from which the cookie data were sent, information about the cookie’s age, and an alphanumeric identifier. This Site uses aggregate cookie data to analyze and improve our website’s relevance and your user experience.
Cookies are used to collect information about how you navigate our Site and what specific areas and products interest you. The information stored in the cookies is neither used to identify you nor is it combined with other stored personal information about you.
You can deactivate or restrict the transmission of cookies or delete any cookies already stored. If you choose to deactivate or delete cookies for the Merz Aesthetics websites, you may not be able to make full use of all the Site’s functions.
Online Advertising to Promote Our Products
Merz Aesthetics uses third-party vendor remarketing tracking tools, including Facebook Pixel, to serve ads about Merz Aesthetics products online. These ads appear on Facebook, Google products, and on sites across the Internet. The third-party vendors use cookies, web beacons, and similar technologies to tailor the ads based on your past visits to our website and elsewhere online and to measure ad conversion. If you have asked for more information about our products by providing us your contact information on our website, we may share that with social media providers to serve you ads with information about our products.
Google Analytics
Where applicable, we use Google Analytics to understand how users interact with our Site and to improve how our business communicates its commercial message online. The provider of this service is Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Google Analytics uses cookies, which send anonymized or truncated personal information to a Google server in the U.S. The information about our Sites generated by a Google Analytics cookie helps us evaluate the use of the Site, compile reports on activity, and provide us with other services relating to website activity and internet usage.
You can find more information about Google’s data protection practices and terms of use by visiting Google’s websites here. You can prevent Google from collecting and processing cookie-generated data relating to your use of a website by downloading and installing the browser plug-in available here.
Google Maps
Where applicable, our Site uses Google Maps API, which uses your location to provide additional services and features that you choose to interact with—for example, displaying the locations of Merz Aesthetics companies and medical specialists near you. If you access Google Maps on Merz Aesthetics websites, technical data about your accessing system (e.g., your postal code or IP address) may be transmitted to servers of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043.
If you do not wish to use Google Maps you should not use the integrated Google Maps feature on our websites or enter your address into the medical specialist locator tool (where applicable).
Google Fonts
Where applicable, in order to reduce the loading times, some of our Sites use fonts (“Google Fonts”) downloaded from the servers of Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. Generally, if you access one of our Sites, then anonymous technical data about your accessing system will be transmitted to Google where it is cached and stored for one day.
YouTube Videos
Where applicable, our Site sometimes displays YouTube videos. YouTube is a service offered by Google LLC, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, USA. You can prevent the transmission of your data to Google by not clicking on the YouTube videos integrated into the Site.
Facebook Pixel
Where applicable, our Site uses remarketing pixels from Facebook Inc, 1 Hacker Way, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. When you visit our Site, Facebook may use a storage technology called a pixel to collect information about your visit from our Site and elsewhere on the Internet. Facebook then uses that information to provide measurement services and target ads to you and to others like you. You can learn how to opt-out from the Facebook Pixel on our Site and on other websites by visiting Facebook’s website here.
Data We Collect on Social Media
Our websites include social media features, such as the Facebook share button. These features may collect your IP address and which page you are visiting on our site and may set a cookie to enable the feature to function properly. For more information on how these social media websites or other third parties are using your personal information, you can read the privacy policy of that organization. To understand more about how Merz Aesthetics collects and uses your personal information when you engage with Merz Aesthetics on social media, such as a Facebook page, click here.
Protection of Personal Information
Merz Aesthetics uses reasonable security arrangements to secure personal information from unauthorized access, collection, use, disclosure, copying, modification or disposal, or similar risks. No method of protection is 100% foolproof.
Collection Of Information from Minors or Children
We direct our website and services towards adults. They are not intended for children or minors. We do not knowingly collect information about children under the age of 13. A parent or guardian of a child may contact us at the contact details stated under the section “Your Data Rights” below with any request regarding information about your child.
Cross Border Data Transfers
Though this site is intended for use in the countries where we do business in the Region, we know access is not limited to this Region. As a result, Merz Aesthetics may transfer personal information from countries with similar or greater data protection measures in place as your country of residence. Merz Aesthetics may also share your information within our family of companies and/or third-party organizations with which we partner for a variety of purposes, such as, to provide you with the latest information about our products and services and offer you our latest promotions. This may involve the transfer of personal information to other locations outside your home country to other Merz Aesthetics companies/entities or to third-party organizations with which we partner in different locations around the world. By using this website, you understand your information may be transferred to the United States or to other countries where Merz Aesthetics conducts business or where the third-party organizations with which we partner located. Merz Aesthetics makes every effort to adhere to international data transfer laws and place adequate measures to protect such personal information. Where we transfer your personal data, we ensure that your data is transferred in accordance with the legal provisions applicable at the location where the respective Merz Aesthetics company/entity that you engage is located, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
Your Data Rights
You may have a right to know what we do with your data. You may have the right to request to access, review, correct, update, hide, delete, or restrict the processing of your personal information. If you no longer want to receive communications from Merz Aesthetics, you may opt out of any electronic communication. If you do object to Merz Aesthetics processing your personal information as described in this Privacy Policy, send your concern to the respective person in charge of data protection related questions of the local Merz Aesthetics company/entity at your location with whom you are engaged at the following email addresses. We ask you to send such requests in written form stating your name, address, and phone number, so that we can confirm your identity.
| Location | Email Address |
|---|---|
| Australia1 and New Zealand2 | privacy_australia@merz.com |
| Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan Region | Mainland China: privacycn@merz.com Hong Kong: privacyhk@merz.com Taiwan: privacytw@merz.com |
| Indonesia | privacyin@merz.com |
| South Korea | privacykr@merz.kr |
| Singapore | privacysg@merz.com |
| Thailand | privacyth@merz.com |
| All other APAC locations not listed herein | privacyapac@merz.com |
We will endeavour to respond to all reasonable requests in a timely manner.
References:
For residents in Australia, please note that there are some exceptions to your right to gain access to your information as provided under the Australian Privacy Principles Guidelines, including but not limited to: providing access would have an unreasonable impact upon the privacy of other individuals; or the request for access is frivolous or vexatious; or the information relates to existing or anticipated legal proceedings between you and us, and the information would not be accessible by the process of discovery in those proceedings; or providing access would be unlawful. If you do not receive a response to your request in a reasonable time frame or are otherwise unhappy with our handling of your request, you may lodge a complaint with The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner. Details of how to make a complaint can be found at www.oaic.gov.au
2 For residents in New Zealand, please note that under the Privacy Act 1993, if you are not satisfied with our response to any privacy-related concern you may have, you can contact the Privacy Commissioner. Details of how to make a complaint can be found at https://www.privacy.org.nz
Retention Period
Merz Aesthetics will retain your personal information for as long as you are a customer, patient, and as long as our legal, business and/or ethical obligations require Merz Aesthetics to maintain such data. For instance, Merz Aesthetics retains your information for business purposes, for as long as your account is active, or as long as is reasonably necessary to provide you with our products and services.
Changes to the Data Privacy Policy
Merz Aesthetics may review and update this Privacy Policy periodically without any prior notice.
Table 1 – Categories, Sources, Collection, Processing and Purposes of Processing Personal information
| Categories of personal information we may collect | Sources of that personal information | Data elements we may collect | Purposes for collecting this data | Categories of third parties with which we may share this data |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact information | You Your authorized representative Healthcare providers |
Name Post office box and/or street address Telephone numbers |
To communicate with you To send you messages about doing business with us To send you marketing and promotional communications To process payment or loyalty points For market research To advertise and market Merz Aesthetics and Merz Aesthetics related products to you via email and social media For General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Healthcare providers who use Merz Aesthetics products and social media companies, but only if you have initiated the transaction or otherwise agreed To government agencies, if required by law |
| Authentication information | You | Usernames and passwords | To provide you with secure access to certain websites and tools |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Third-party authentication services, such as Google or Facebook (who may also use the data to deliver ads on their own platform), but only if you consent or direct us to do so |
| Unique identifiers |
You Your healthcare provider, if you permit it Third parties, such as ad delivery and social media companies, who place cookies containing advertising IDs on your device |
Merz Aesthetics identification number, customer number, account number, Merz Aesthetics loyalty number
Device identifier Advertising ID Online user ID IP address Social Security number Signature Voice imprint |
To identify you or your device, including to associate you with different devices that you may use
For recordkeeping and reporting To track your use of products, services, websites, including for ad delivery and personalization For market research purposes To send marketing and promotional communications For General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers To government agencies, if required by law |
| Financial information |
You Payment processors or financial institutions Consumer reporting agencies |
Bank account number if you have directed us to collect it for automatic payments
Payment card information if you provide it to our payment card processors Credit reporting if you ask us for financing |
We maintain this information as part of transactions we do with you in order to fulfill our business relationship with you
For required financial record keeping For General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Our payment card processors Our financial institutions Credit reporting agencies To government agencies, if required by law |
| Relationship information |
You Service providers and third parties that provide information that helps us understand our customers, including Third parties that provide access to information you make publicly available, such as social media companies We may also infer information about you based on your past interactions with us |
Personal characteristics and preferences, such as your age range, gender, marital and family status, shopping preferences, languages spoken, loyalty and rewards program data, household demographic data, information from social media profiles and activities such as “likes” and emoticons, and preferences for being contacted |
To better understand you and to understand our customers generally
To design, develop, market, sell, and/or improve our products, services, and programs, including loyalty programs To send marketing and promotional communications To identify prospective customers For market research purposes For internal business purposes, such as quality control, training, and analytics For our General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Third parties with whom we have joint marketing, copromotion, distribution, or similar arrangements To government agencies, if required by law |
| Transaction information |
You Third parties that transact business with us such as distributors or resellers |
Customer account information, shipping, and billing information, lot number, purchase history, and related records (e.g., returns, product service records, records of payments)
Marketing and ad campaign data and history Patient engagement and support data Customer service records |
To fulfill our business relationship with you, including customer service and performance of agreements
For recordkeeping and compliance, including dispute resolution To design, develop, market, sell, and/or improve our products, services For market research purposes To send marketing and promotional communications For our General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Third parties who transact business on our behalf To government agencies, if required by law |
|
Online or technical information |
You and from your computer or devices |
IP, MAC, and SSID addresses or persistent identifiers
Device characteristics (such as browser information) Web Server Logs Browsing Data Viewing Data First- and third-party cookies, including ad IDs Flash and Silverlight cookies Web beacons, clear gifs, and pixel tags Preference management including opt-in and opt-out management |
For system administration, technology management, including optimizing our websites and applications and data analytics
For recordkeeping To design, develop, and/or improve our products, services, and programs, including loyalty programs To better understand our customers and prospective customers When you consent through our cookie banner, for online targeting and advertising purposes where advertisements are placed on other websites when you visit For market research purposes For our General Business Use |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Third-party network advertising partners who may, in turn, disclose to additional advertising providers or social media companies, but only if you consent through our cookie consent banner or your web browser settings permit it To government agencies, if required by law |
| Audio, Electronic or Visual information | You | Photographs and video images that you provide | To fulfill a contract with you
If you consent, for use on social media and in other marketing or advertising materials. Video Conference calls. Audio and/or video recordings from participation in online meetings, live social media or Merz Aesthetics sponsored meetings. |
Our affiliated companies Our service providers Third-party network advertising partners who may, in turn, disclose to additional advertising providers or social media companies, but only if you consent through our cookie consent banner or your web browser settings permit it To government agencies, if required by law |