The zebrafish has many advantages. The individuals are small, easy to feed, have transparent embryos, and are easy to observe. The zebrafish is a model organism widely used in medical and toxicological research. Recently, because of its high throughput screening, short testing life cycle, and the high credibility of the experimental result, the zebrafish is beginning to be used to evaluate functional cosmetics. It has become an approved evaluation method in the cosmetics industry and is a hot spot for scholars. At present, the efficacy of functional cosmetics is variable, but zebrafish model evaluation criteria have not yet been finalized. In this paper, we describe the progress made in the application of zebrafish models for evaluating the efficacy of functional cosmetics, such as their whitening or soothing properties.