This invention provides water-based compositions, particularly coating, ink, adhesive, fountain solution and agricultural compositions, manifesting reduced equilibrium and dynamic surface tension by the incorporation of a surface tension reducing amount of a mixture of a non-fluorinated anionic compound and a non-fluorinated weak base cationic compound, the mixture demonstrating a dynamic surface tension (DST) which is less than the DST of the individual anionic and cationic compounds and less than 45 dynes/cm, at a concentration of ≦5 wt % in water at 23° C. and 20 bubbles/second or less than 40 dynes/cm at a concentration of ≦0.03M in water at 23° C. and 0.1 bubbles/second according to the maximum-bubble pressure method. Foaming of the water-based compositions can also be reduced or eliminated.