N-Oleoylsarcosine is a mild surfactant which irritates skin and eyes comparatively little and is therefore used in personal care products such as skin cleansing agents because of its antimicrobial and virucidal properties.
The sarcosine head group of the long-chain amphiphilic N-acylamino acid is responsible for the formation of chelate-like structures in the adsorption on polar and charged surfaces, e.g. on metals.
The molecules form oriented monomolecular films that protect the metal surface from corrosive attack.
N-Oleoylsarcosine possesses already at low concentrations very good rust protection properties (in particularly in combination with the imidazoline derivative 2-(2-heptadec-8-enyl-2-imidazolin-1-yl)ethanol which also acts emulsifying and anticorrosive), also against non-ferrous metals such as aluminum and copper. Therefore, N-oleoylsarcosine is added as a corrosion inhibitor and emulsifier to rust protection fluids and lubricating greases, fuels and lubricants and refrigerating lubricants such as drilling and cutting oils.