Abstract: The collagen hydrolysate was prepared by waste leather shavings via alkali hydrolysis.According to Schotten-Baumann reaction, varied collagen hydrolysate-based amino acid surfactants were prepared with collagen hydrolysate and different kinds of acyl chloride with different carbon chain length . The optimal reaction conditions were determined by the free amino content in surfactant solution. The structures of amino acid surfactants were evaluated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analyses (FT-IR). Their physicochemical properties, such as surface tension, foaming and foam stability were investigated. It can be obtained that the reaction pH value was 9, the volume ratio of ethyl acetate to lauroyl chloride was 2:1, the reaction temperature was 60 ℃ and the highest conversion rate was 77.9%. As carbon chain length of acyl chloride increasing, the free amino content in surfactants declined, and their foam stability increased. Lauroyl surfactant with C1₂ has the lowest surface tension and highest foaming stability.