Abstract: The tanning industry refers to the industry of using animal skins as raw materials to produce leather products through a series of physical and chemical treatments. Although traditional chrome tanning method gives leather excellent comprehensive properties, there is still environmental pressure to treat chromium-containing wastes. Layered double hydroxides (LDHs) are a class of layered compounds consisting of negatively charged anions and positively charged metal hydroxides. They have acid-base property and the characteristics of easy modification, thermal stability and structural memory effects. This article introduced the structure and properties of LDHs nanomaterials and reviewed their applications as tanning materials, retanning materials, fatliquoring auxiliaries, dyeing auxiliaries, functional coating materials and water treatment materials in the tanning industry.