Cookie Policy
Last updated: 3 July 2026
What Are Cookies?
Cookies are small text files placed on your device by a website. We also use browser local storage, which works similarly. This policy covers both.
Cookies We Use
| Name | Type | Purpose | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| hxc_refresh | Strictly Necessary | Keeps you logged in by storing a signed refresh token (httpOnly, Secure) | 30 days |
| hxc-auth | Strictly Necessary | Persists your login state across page loads (Zustand local storage) | Persistent |
| hxc-cart | Strictly Necessary | Saves your shopping cart contents between visits | Persistent |
| hxc-age | Strictly Necessary | Records your confirmation that you are 18+ and a researcher, preventing repeated age-gate prompts | Persistent |
| hxc:cookie-consent | Strictly Necessary | Records your cookie preferences so the consent banner only appears once | 12 months |
| _ga | Analytics (consent-gated) | Set by Google Analytics 4 to distinguish unique visitors. Only set if you accept analytics in the cookie banner. Third-party (Google LLC, US — Standard Contractual Clauses). | 13 months |
| _ga_G-ZVQLM8VRKD | Analytics (consent-gated) | Set by Google Analytics 4 to persist session state for our specific property. Only set if you accept analytics. Third-party (Google LLC). | 13 months |
| cw_conversation / chatwoot_* | Functional (consent-gated) | Set by our Chatwoot support-chat widget to keep a conversation alive across page loads. Only set if you accept in the cookie banner. Chatwoot is self-hosted by us at chat.helixcore.co.uk — no third party receives this data. | Session / up to 1 year |
Consent-Gated Services & Your Choice
On your first visit, the cookie banner offers two buttons: Accept all and Reject non-essential. Choosing Accept all sets consent for both Google Analytics and Chatwoot; choosing Reject non-essential means neither loads and no cookies are set beyond the strictly necessary ones above.
You can change your choice at any time via the “Cookie preferences” link in the site footer, which reopens the same banner. You can also clear the hxc:cookie-consent entry in your browser's local storage to be asked again on your next visit.
Google Analytics processes IP addresses with the last octet truncated (GA4 default) and we have not enabled advertising features, demographic reports, or remarketing audiences. Data is stored on Google servers in the US under Standard Contractual Clauses for the transfer mechanism.
Chatwoot is self-hosted by us at chat.helixcore.co.uk — no conversation data is shared with a third party. It is used only to power the support-chat widget.
Cookies We Do Not Use
We do not use:
- Advertising or remarketing cookies (no AdWords, Facebook Pixel, TikTok Pixel, etc.)
- Social media tracking pixels
- Third-party marketing or affiliate-tracking cookies
- Session-replay tools (Hotjar, FullStory, Clarity, or similar)
Legal Basis (PECR & UK GDPR)
Under the Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR), strictly necessary cookies do not require prior consent. The Google Analytics and Chatwoot cookies above are set only with your active consent via the cookie banner, as required.
Managing Cookies
Use the “Cookie preferences” link in the site footer at any time to reopen the banner and change your choice — it takes effect immediately, with no reload needed.
You can also clear cookies and local storage via your browser settings. Note that clearing strictly necessary data will log you out, clear your cart, and re-trigger the age gate. Rejecting or clearing Google Analytics / Chatwoot consent will not affect how the rest of the site functions — you just won't see the chat bubble and we won't receive analytics data.
Contact
Questions about our use of cookies: privacy@helixcore.co.uk
HelixCore Ltd. Registered in England & Wales. Company number 17247085.