Since the first paper filters were used commercially in the mid-1930s, filters have become more integral to the overall design of the cigarette to help modify the yield, composition and taste of cigarette smoke. Cellulose acetate is currently the material of choice for most cigarette filters but other materials and granular additives are available with different filtration properties. Although filters are often used to control the overall tar and nicotine yield of cigarettes, more recently, there has been a growing interest in the selective removal of harmful compounds from smoke. The availability of important smoke compounds for selective removal will be reviewed. The performance of a range of filter materials and granular additives are discussed both in terms of overall performance and the ability to selectively reduce harmful compounds. Consideration will be given to key parameters that can influence filter effectiveness such as smoke velocity and contact time which are in turn dependent on smoking regime and product diameter being much higher and shorter for intense regimes and superslim products when compared to the ISO smoking regime and standard diameter products. The effect of temperature on the adsorption and potential desorption of compounds on granular additives will also be discussed.