On account of the advantages of transdermal delivery and the application situation of transcutaneous technology in transdermal delivery, the article critically comments on nanosystems as permeation enhancement model. Nanosystems possess great potential for transcutaneous drug delivery. This review focuses on recent advances in lipid-based nanocarriers, including liposome, transfersomes, ethosomes, nanoemulsions, solid lipid nanoparticles, nanostructured lipid carriers and combination application of the lipid-based nanocarriers with microneedle, iontophoresis, electroporation and sonophoresis in the field for the development of the transdermal drug delivery system. We attempted to give an overview of lipid-based nanocarriers with the aim to improve transdermal and dermal drug delivery. A special focus is given to the nanocarrier composition, characteristic and interaction mechanisms through the skin. Recent combination applications of lipid-based nanocarriers with the physical penetration technology demonstrate the superiority of the combined use of nanocarriers and physical methods in drug penetration enhancement compared to their single use. In the future, lipidbased nanocarriers will play a greater role in the field of transdermal and dermal drug delivery.