We report a theoretical analysis of solvation effects on the molecular properties of ortho , meta, and para cyanophenol isomers at the air–water interface. The study was carried out using a self-consistent image charge polarizable continuum model, which allows to get clear insights on the solvation process and to rationalize the calculated differences with respect to solvation in bulk water. The results show that polarization at the air–water interface cannot be compared to polarization in a bulk solvent of low or medium polarity, as sometimes claimed. Indeed, though the calculated induced dipole moments at the interface are always significantly smaller than the induced moments in bulk water, other reactivity indices such as the chemical potential experience the largest solvation effects at the interface. Moreover, the relationship between solvation energies and solute polarity at the interface is not as simple as in the case of bulk solvation. In this respect, the study emphasizes the key role of the topology of the electrostatic field created by the polarized medium because its high anisotropy at the interface makes the molecular properties to be very dependent on the relative orientation of the solute. These findings can explain the higher chemical and photochemical reactivity previously described for some molecules and radicals of atmospheric interest.