It is commonly used in detergents industrial cleaners agrochemical formulations cosmetics and laboratory preparations as a wetting emulsifying and dispersing agent.

Its purpose is to reduce surface tension improve the solubility and dispersion of substances and promote effective mixing of oil and water phases.

Polyoxyethylene (10) tridecyl ether is a nonionic surfactant composed of a tridecyl alcohol hydrophobic group and approximately 10 ethylene oxide units.