Lactose fatty acid esters were synthesized from whey permeate powder byproducts to create value-added products. Reactions were carried out with varying amounts of whey permeate, fatty acids, enzymes, molecular sieves, and solvents. Analysis with ATR-FTIR, HPLC, NMR and MS identified the final products and an unidentified peak. Surface tension, interfacial tension and contact angle measurements showed the products perform differently than water but similarly to sodium dodecyl sulfate for surface tension.