Itaconic acid, a carbohydrate‐derived aliphatic dicarboxylic acid, is a potential chemical for the synthesis of renewable resource‐based resins and polyesters. Owing to environmental reasons, there is a gradual demand for renewable resources in the chemical industry. Conversely, as a rather underappreciated side effect of this growth, novel chemical building blocks are obtained, which are not commercially derived from petrochemical sources. In this respect, itaconic acid has attracted much attention and its trifunctional structure leads to the synthesis of novel polymeric materials. This review discusses the most relevant information for bio‐based resins and polyesters resulting from itaconic acid and distinctive properties for various commercial applications. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry Thermoset epoxy resins and unsaturated polyesters synthesized from biomass are used in various applications such as coatings, shape memory polymers, medicals, elastomers and composites.