After 44 years, India's most well known detergent brand 'Surf' has been quietly phased out by its manufacturer Hindustan Lever since the company felt the brand name was "becoming somewhat generic" and unable to attract new customers.

Thus, Surf has been replaced with 'Surf Excel Blue', which HLL says contains improved formulation and is expected to retain the current "loyal" customers of Surf while adding new ones.

"While Surf over the last few years has continued to retain its loyal customer base, the many competitors it has spawned in the detergents industry has made it somewhat generic, not sufficiently differentiated against its competitors and therefore, not attracting new customers," an HLL spokesperson said.

Launched in 1959 as India's first detergent powder, Surf has over the decades been a symbol of superlative cleaning and caring for clothes, he said.

The Surf Excel franchise HLL has launched in place of Surf comprises Surf Excel Easy Wash (stain removal), Surf Excel Automatic (specifically for washing machines) and Surf Excel Blue (stain removal with fabric caring), the spokesperson added.