Slick-water is widely used in water-based fracturing for unconventional oil and gas exploitation，which can reduce the friction resistance. As the core of the slick-water fracturing fluid，the friction reducer determine the fluid’s performances. Combining with the related literature at home and abroad，this paper analyzes the mechanism of friction reducer，introduces the research and application progress of natural polysaccharide，surfactant and polyacrylamide. It is considered that both the instant powder polymer and W/W dispersion polymer have great application potential. The friction reducer with high-efficiency sand-carrying and salt resistance is the focus of future research.