The quantitative behavior of interfacial resistance to mass transfer at an oil-water interface in presence of a surfactant, which occurs in addition to the diffusional resistance, is modeled. Successive approximations are used to simplify the detailed behavior to show that the experimentally determined quantitative behavior of solubilization kinetics, is also theoretically justified. The solubility of oil, the frequency of collision of micelles with the oil-water interface, and the resistance to the entry of the solubilizate into the micelle (activation energy) are identified as the key quantities governing this resistance. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science (USA). All rights reserved.