Clearblue was introduced in 1985 with the launch of the first Clearblue Home Pregnancy Test system, which at the time was owned by Unilever. It was the world’s first “rapid home test” that gave pregnancy test results in 30 minutes and allowed a woman to take a test before going tothe doctor. The test was a three-step process using a dipstick and small tray. In 1988, Clearblue launched the first one-step pregnancy test with the invention of lateral flow technology. This one-step test gave a result in 3 minutes, subsequently reduced to a 1-minute result when Clearblue introduced the world’s first one-minute home pregnancy test in 1996. In 2003, Clearblue released the first digital pregnancy test to show the result in words ‘Pregnant’ or ‘Not Pregnant’ on a digital screen. In 1989, Clearblue released the first one-step home ovulation test, enabling women to measure their surge in Luteinising Hormone to determine their most fertile days. In 1999, the brand launched the world’s first dual-hormone fertility monitor, which allowed women to measure estrone3-glucuronide in combination with LH. The company created the first digital ovulation test in 2004. In 2013, the company also began offering an ovulation test with a dual hormone read detecting both estrogen and LH. Clearblue won the 2012 Red Dot Design Award in the product design category for its Clearblue Plus Pregnancy Test. The Clearblue Digital Ovulation test was the 2011 Platinum winner in the Prima Baby Reader Awards. Clearblue is a donor to Flight for Every Mother Ltd, a humanitarian project led by Dr. Sophia Webster which aims to improve maternal health in Africa.
SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH
Unilever’s diagnostics subsidiary, Unipath, was sold to Inverness Medical Innovations Group in 2001, later renamed ALERE. Since 2007, Clearblue has been produced and distributed by SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, a 50/50 joint venture between Procter & Gamble and ALERE. The company is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. In addition to Clearblue, the company also manufactures and distributes other consumer diagnostic products including Accu-Clear, Fact Plus Pregnancy Test, Clearplan and the PERSONA monitor.
