Surf and OMO were identical, they just went into different packaging. The same applied to Rinso and Persil.
The reason was a sales ploy called brand saturation.
Rinso and Persil were soap-based, Surf and OMO were sulphonate-based.
IIRC, at one stage OMO was doped with detergent particles stained with methylene blue, which the marketing gurus called blue beads of bleach. A total lie.
Always amusing to hear about housewives arguing the toss which brand was better, when the formula was the same.
The aforesaid were all Unilever products, I think FAB and tide were Colgate. It's now 60 years since I worked for Unilever, as a trainee chemist.
Sorry to hear about your financial travails, Owl. I guess trust has been damaged by the revelations.