Abstract: A new type of cardanol based quaternary ammonium salt surfactant, i.e. 3-cardanol-oxy-2-hydroxy) propyl-N, N, N-trimethyl ammonium chloride as raw materials, was synthesized with a yield of about 72% by using cashew phenol and glycidyl trimethyl ammonium chloride(GTA) which was a kind of active intermediate. The aimed product’s superficial characteristics was identified with high performance liquid chromatography, infrared spectroscopy and high resolution mass spectrometry. The cationic group was found in the product through bromophenol blue inspection. It showed good foaming capacity and foam stability through foam performance measurement. The surface activities of the product were preliminarily measured. The results showed that the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the products was 6.38 mmol/L, surface tension at CMC (γ_CMC) was 38.86 mN/m. The new products shows excellent emulsifying ability.