Imidazoline surfactants belong to the category of cationic surfactants. Cationic surfactants are often quaternary nitrogen salts and are widely used both in non aqueous systems and in applications such as textile softeners, dispersants and emulsifiers. In the class of imidazoline compounds there is a presence of a pendant group, an imidazoline head group and a hydrocarbon tail. This paper reviews the imidazoline and its salts as an emerging class of cationic surfactants. It deals with the synthesis, various properties that prove its use in laundry detergent applications like good detergency, resiliency, foaming property, softening property, rewettability, good storage stability and less irritating property. In addition the film forming and corrosion inhibition properties tend them to varied and numerous industrial applications.