Phthalates (Phthalic acid esters, PAEs) as a common industrial products, a growing body of scientific evidences indicate that exposure to PAEs in early life has a potential harmful effect on the growth and development of organisms in later life, among these hazards, exposure to PAEs widely may increase the risk of asthma in children, which has attracted more and more attention. This article introduced the reasons and effects of PAEs exposure in early life, the relationships between early-life PAEs exposure and childhood asthma from the perspectives of epidemiological and animal studies and the underlying mechanisms of action.