Forward osmosis (FO) has developed rapidly over the past decade. The development of draw solutes, a key component of FO processes, has also progressed remarkably. A wide range of synthetic draw solutes have been explored in recent years. Synthetic draw solutes exhibit superiority over the conventional draw solutes obtained commercially in terms of lower reverse solute fluxes and less energy consumption in draw solute recycling. However, there are still some big challenges for synthetic draw solutes, such as complicated synthetic procedures, low water fluxes, severe concentration polarization (CP) and decreased water recovery efficiency when recycled draw solutes are reused in FO. These challenges are also the current research focus on the exploration of novel draw solutes. This article aims to review the recent progress especially on synthetic draw solutes. Their design strategies, synthesis routes and FO performance are assessed. Some representative applications involving the synthetic draw solutes-facilitated FO processes are exemplified. The advantages and disadvantages of the existing synthetic draw solutions are evaluated. The challenges and future directions in exploring novel draw solutes are highlighted.