Surfactin, like other surfactants, affects the surface tension of liquids in which it is dissolved. It can lower the waters surface tension from 72 mN/m to 27 mN/m at concentrations as low as 20 μM. Surfactin accomplishes this effect by occupying the intermolecular space between water molecules, decreasing the attractive forces between adjacent water molecules, mainly hydrogen bonds, to increase the solutions fluidity. This property makes surfactin and other surfactants useful as detergents and soaps.