Surface-active substances or surfactants are organic compounds that are divided into anionic, cationic, nonionic and amorphous compounds according to their charge. They are used as ingredients in various products for hygiene and disinfection, they appear in the composition of washing detergents and they are widely used in households and industry. Surfactants act as emulsifiers, disinfectants, foaming, washing and degreasing agents and they have a biocidal effect. Accelerated industrialization, better living standardand an increase in the production of electric vehicles are the main causes of the growing demand for surfactants. Due to their massive use, their negative impact has been observed in all the aspects of the environment and in living organisms. They easily accumulate in sediment, soil, flora and fauna. They foam and reduce the surface tension at the phase boundary and thus prevent the exchange of oxygen. Because of all of this, it is necessary to monitor and control them, not only in the environment but also through quality control in industry. Analytical analyses for the determination of surfactants in the environment include titration methods (visual and potentiometric), spectrophotometric (MBAS, English Methylene blue active substances), turbid imetric and chromatographic methods, and instrumented methods such as an analysis with a flow injection (FIA, English Flow injection analysis) ). Each of the mentioned methods has certain advantages and disadvantages, and they are presented and discussed on in this paper.