In the era of nanoparticulate controlled and site specific drug delivery systems, use of solid lipids to produce first generation lipid nanoparticles, solid lipid nanoparticles (SLN), became a revolutionary approach in the early nineties. The present review is designed to provide an insight into how SLN are finding a niche as promising nanovectors and forms a sound basis to troubleshoot the existing problems associated with traditional systems. Herein, authors had tried to highlight the frontline aspects prominent to SLN. An updated list of lipids, advanced forms of SLN, methods of preparation, characterization parameters, and various routes of administration of SLN are explored in-depth. Stability, toxicity, stealthing, targeting efficiency and other prospectives of SLN are also discussed in detail. The present discussion embodies the potential of SLN, now being looked up by various research groups around the world for their utility in the core areas of pharmaceutical sciences, thereby urging pharmaceutical industries to foster their scale-up. Pojava nanočestica za kontroliranu i ciljanu isporuku lijekova izrađenih iz čvrstih li­pida (SLN) imala je ranih devedesetih godina revolucionarno značenje. U ovom preglednom radu opisani su SLN sustavi kao korisni nanovektori za isporuku lijekova. Autori ističu prednosti SLN sustava, daju pregled lipida za njihovu izradu, opisuju metode pri­prave, karakterizacijske parametre i različite načine primjene SLN-a. Osim toga, detaljno se raspravlja o njihovoj stabilnosti, toksičnosti te mogućnosti ciljane isporuke. Istaknute su mogućnosti koje pružaju SLNi u području farmaceutskih znanosti i njihova moguća primjena u farmaceutskoj industriji.