Also known as the CMC of a surfactant. It is the lowest surfactant concentration at which micelles are formed. That is, the CMC represents that concentration of surfactant at which the individual surfactant molecules aggregate into distinct, high molecular weight spherical entities called micelles. Or from another viewpoint, it represents the concentration of a surfactant, above which micelles or reverse micelles will spontaneously form through the process of self-aggregation (self-assembly).