Abstract: The progress in research and application of filter additives for tar and harmful substance reduction in recent years was summarized to further promote the related researches. At present, many types of filter additives with certain effects on tar and harmful substance reduction were reported. According to the classification of materials used, there are carbon materials, porous inorganic salts, catalytic materials, polymer materials and natural plant/animal extracts. However, due to the increased costs and the impact on cigarette smoke sensory quality, only a few additives have been applied to Chinese-style cigarettes. Tobacco industry still needs to carry out further researches on novel filter additives to reduce application costs, to promote tar and harmful substance reduction effects and to minimize the sensory quality impact of filter additives. In the meantime, filter additive application integrated with tobacco flavoring and processing technologies should be strengthened.