Glycolipids of branched chain alkyl oligosaccharides according to this patent comprise of a primary alcohol branched in the 2-position and an oligosaccharide, covalently bond to the alcohol in either .alpha.- or .beta.-linkage (shown in Formula I and Formula II). These compounds show particularly interesting phase behavior not found for the corresponding straight chain counterparts. The properties involve an ambient temperature liquid crystalline appearance and thermotropic liquid crystal phase polymorphism. Upon the latter, the formation of cubic phases is considered most interesting with respect to life science applications, e.g. liposome for drug delivery. Depending on the choice of sugar head group and alkyl tail, various levels of water miscibility may be adjusted to meet applications requirements (complete solubility for emulsifier applications, e.g. cosmetic creams, to limited water swelling only, e.g. for the preparation of artificial membranes). The closed structural relationship to natural lipids also make branched chain alkyl oligosaccharides valuable subjects for biochemical investigations, e.g. membrane studies. The range of possible applications for glycolipids of branched chain alkyl oligosaccharides involve material science liquid crystal applications, e.g, optical switches, as well as surfactants and the life science applications.