Objectives The aim of the paper is to review the recent scientific and professional literature on the application of the chemical fingerprints in the identification and quality control of complex plant samples (drugs, herbal preparations, herbal products – dietary supplements and cosmetic products, herbal medicinal products), as well as the detailed study and critical discussion on the value of applying such analytical approach to selected literature examples. The aim is also to emphasize the importance of proper identification and quality control of the plant material to ensure the quality, efficacy and safety of the related herbal medicinal product. Materials and methods Research in this paper is a theoretical one and includes a detailed overview of the available professional and scientific literature. Themes are related to the field of analytical and quality control of herbal material and herbal medicinal products with the help of a chemical fingerprints. Data on the development of regulatory standards for herbal products were also collected. Bibliographic databases such as Medline/PubMed, Toxnet, Scopus, ScienceDirect, Elsevier biobase - Current Awareness in Biological Sciences (CABS), EMBASE, EBSCO and others are searched with key words such as: chemical fingerprint, chromatographic fingerprint, quality control of herbal drugs, qualitative and quantitative analysis of herbal drugs, herbal medicines, identification and determination of active components in herbal medicines, phytoequivalence, herbal extracts, regulatory requirements for herbal medicines, herbal drug regulation etc. The collected articles were critically examined, focusing on the literature that deals with chemical fingerprint for the purpose of identification and quality control of the of complex plant samples i.e. drugs, herbal preparations, and various herbal medicinal products. Results The results are presented through an analytical and regulatory aspect. A detailed description of the field of application of chemical fingerprints in the pharmaceutical analysis provides an insight into the significance of this analytical approach and highlights its importance in the establishment of new standards for the quality control of herbal products. The widespread use of chemical fingerprints in the analysis of complex plant specimens accelerates and facilitates the characterization of such products and contributes to the standardization of their quality on the market. Also, the presented study provides a good insight into the demands and challenges posed by the pharmaceutical analysis of plant specimens, particularly various plant products with complex composition, as well as in the regulation of the mentioned group of products. Conclusion Overview of the research brings systematized information on the role of chemical fingerprint in the characterization of complex plant samples. The selected studies show the advantages and disadvantages of a chemical fingerprint in the identification and quality control of different plant samples and present new findings about the value and importance of such an analytical approach to complex plant material present in different groups of herbal products. Also, an overview of the current regulatory situation in this area provides insight into the shortcomings of current official regulations and points to the necessary measures and improvements.