The ability of several organic compounds [alcohols 1 and 2, the corresponding phosphate esters 3 and 4 and their sodium salts 5 and 6 as well as some commercial surfactants such as C14DMAO (7, zwitterionic), SDS (8, anionic) and CTABr (9, cationic)] to produce supramolecular complexes with β‐cyclodextrin has been investigated by four different techniques (ESI‐MS, surface tension measurements, UV/Vis and 1H NMR spectroscopy). The data collected have allowed information about the formation of complexes and the location of the guest in the host to be gained. Comparison of the results obtained for phosphate esters and their salts, for both saturated and unsaturated derivatives, has made it possible to evaluate the factors that affect the stability of the supramolecular complexes under the different experimental conditions used. (© Wiley‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2003)