Alkylglucosides are biomass-based nonionic sur factants which have sugar structures as their hydrophilic groups. Alkylglucosides showed much higher foaming per formances than ethyleneoxide added type nonionic sur factants, and their foaming per formances are probably caused by the orientation controlled by their sugar structures. Alkylglucosides are mild for protein and skin, and they also show high compatibility with water environment. Therefore, they are one of the remarkable sur factants in future for the requirement of safety of chemicals and a low environmental impact. In this paper, we describe the physical proper ties and characteristic per formances of alkylglucosides.Key words: alkylglucoside, nonionic sur factant, biomass-based, saccharide, foaming proper ty, environment