Docusate, also known as docusate salts or dioctyl sulfosuccinate,is a laxative of the stool softener type used to treat constipation.It is considered a good choice in children who have hard feces.

Dioctyl sodium sulfosuccinate is used as a surfactant in a wide range of applications, often under the name Aerosol-OT. It is unusual in that it is able to form microemulsions without the use of co-surfactants, and it has a rich variety of aqueous-phase behavior including multiple liquid crystalline phases.

It is used as an excipient in the production of tablets (as a lubricant) and suspensions (as an emulsifier).

It is the most widely used surfactant in reverse micelle encapsulation studies.