During the last fifty years studies have appeared examining the properties of alpha-sulfonated fatty acid methyl esters (MES) generally as the sodium mono-salt. The literature reports many advantages of MES, but also frequently mentions certain properties that may be disadvantageous. Thus, studies of pure component aqueous solutions report Krafft point temperatures for MES that are higher than other common anionic surfactants, suggesting that solubility of MES may be a limitation, especially in cold water washing. Further, they point to the hydrolysis of MES as a limitation in comparison with other anionic surfactants. This paper will review these issues and present ample evidence to show that in fact MES is a versatile surfactant that can be formulated into a broad range of detergent products, including formulas that are suitable for low temperature washing applications. Hydrolysis of MES can be controlled and avoided and well discuss how to do that. We will review product formulations and show typical examples of heavy duty powder and liquid products and other products that use MES as a primary surfactant.