Solanesol, with highest content in tobacco leaves, was an important material for synthesizing Co-Q10 in pharmaceutical development. In this paper, research advances of solanesol and its utilization in China and abroad were summarized, including biological characters, utilization, related agricultural technologies, extraction, purification, and determination. Solanesol used in industry was generally extracted from tobacco and purified by grade saturation, and determined by HPLC. The present researches focus on extraction and purification technologies, little report was found on regulation and control measure. Solanesol content varies considerably with tobacco type and genotype; it was also largely affected by agricultural measures. Following the present studies on moisture and nitrogen, it is expected that study on regulation and control of solanesol content will become one of the hot areas.