Due to the scarcity of petroleum resources and severe environmental pollution, the synthesis of polymers from natural renewable resources has gradually received attention. Gallic acid widely presenting in nature, is a polyphenolic compound. It has biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and antioxidant properties. This article introduced the synthesis and functionalization researches which are based on gallic acid and its derivatives at home and abroad in recent years. Gallic acid and its derivatives can be used to synthesize many functional polymer materials, such as resin materials, hyperbranched polymers, polymer gelatin, cross-linked polymers, etc. Thus, the application of gallic acid and its derivatives in polymer materials was summarized. Finally, the future development of gallic acid and its derivatives was prospected.