Surfactants are widely used chemical compounds regarding its amphiphilic character. They are used in industry, household, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, medicine as well as in many biology research laboratories all around the world. Because of them being ubiquitous, a great deal of them inevitably ends up in environment. Surfactants are being released via wastewaters as well as being directly released in surface waters from which they percolate in sediment and soil. The surfactant synthesis process affects environmental pollution as well. In most cases environment released surfactant concentrations aren't above the toxicity level, however, even low concentrations are able to harm flora and fauna in the „exposed“ area. The most troubling are QACs. They have shown the highest toxicity rate on aquatic organisms. On the other hand, as each day passes by many new surfactants as gemini and green surfactants, are being invented. Their cleaning power is as good, if not better, as the standard surfactants cleaning power and they are biofriendly regarding both the synthesis and (bio)degradation process. As science moves forward there will surely emerge new revelations related to the mechanisms, synthesis and degradation of new, environmental friendly surfactants.