Objective To analyze the use of animal models of chloasma, and to lay a good foundation for future animal studies designed to explore the basic biology of chloasma, test new therapies, and develop new drugs, so as to generate scientific, rigorous, and safe treatment approach for chloasma. Methods The CNKI, Wanfang and Weipu databases were searched for all publication pertaining to the key word “chloasma”, with the following time ranges: 1960 – 2019, 1990 – 2019, and 1979 – 2019. The application of animal models in the literature and the detection of relevant indicators were analyzed and summarized. Results A total of 104 experimental studies were retrieved. Female KunMing (KM)mouse models of chloasma were the most common, and UV irradiation was the most common method used to induce chloasma. The most common experimental duration was 30 days, and all of the studies lasted for at least 7 days. Drugs were typically administered for between 28 and 31 days. The indicators that were assessed can be divided into apparent indicators, biochemical indicators, and pathological indicators. Assessment of biochemical indicators was most common, primarily focusing on changes in oxidation-related factors in the skin and serum. Conclusions There is a serious imbalance between experimental research and theoretical discussions related to chloasma and the clinical need for chloasma treatments. The establishment of a compound animal model and an animal model with TCM disease characteristics will be an important focus for future research. Existing studies of the mechanisms of drug activity are limited to imbalances in the body, surface oxidation, and anti-oxidation, and ignore factors related to endocrine disorders. In-depth studies of body surface NEI networks to identify factors that can alter body properties may be an important research direction for developing new treatments for chloasma, whether they exhibit full or partial effectiveness.