Nonylphenol ethoxylate is in urgent need of extensive research on alternatives due to its aquatic toxicity. Nonyl cyclohexanol ethoxylates have been considered as potential alternatives with a higher safety profile and similar physicochemical properties to nonylphenol ethoxylates. In this research, sodium nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylates sulfate were synthesized by using nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylates as raw material and chlorosulfonic acid as sulfation reagent, in which the esterification rates toward sodium nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylate (5) sulfate and sodium nonyl cyclohexanol ethoxylate (9) sulfate (5, 9 represents the number of ethylene oxide addition) could reach 90.91% and 91.06%, respectively. The results indicate that the aqueous solution of sodium nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylate (5) sulfate exhibited similar interfacial activity as sodium alkyl ethoxylate (3) sulfate (AES). In short, sodium nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylates sulfate presents comparable wetting and foaming properties as nonylcyclohexanol ethoxylates do, and better wetting, foaming as well as emulsifying performance than AES does.