Interaction of a food dye, tartrazine, with some cationic conventional and gemini surfactants, tetradecyltri-methylampionium bromide (TTAB), NX-ditetradecyl-N,N, N',N'-tetramethyl-N,M-butanediyl-diammonium dibromide (14,4,14), and N,N'-didodecyl-N,N,M,N'-tetramethyl-N,N'-butanecliyl-diammonium dibromide (12,4,12), were first investigated comprehensively employing conductometry, tensiometry, and UV-visible spectroscopy. Tartrazine was found to behave in the same manner as. aromatic counterions. The formation of ion pairs. reflected as, a considerable increase of the surfactant efficiency in tensiometry plots and their stoichiometry were determined by Job's method of continuous variations. For the tartrazine/TTAB system, nonionic DS3, ionic DS2-, and/or DS2-. ion pairs; their small premicelles, and tartrazine-rich micelles were constituted as well as dye containing TTAB-rich micelles. Insoluble J-aggregates of DS- ion pairs and cylindrical surfactant-rich micelles were also formed in tartrazine/gemini surfactant systems and recognized' by transmission electron microscopy. The zeta potential and the size of the aggregates were determined using dynamic light scattering and confirmed the suggested models for the processes happening in each system. Cyclic voltarnmetry was applied successfully to track all of these species using tartrazine's own' reduction peak current for the first time.