Abstract <p>The literature data from the last decade on the chemical structures, distribution and functional peculiarities of the membrane and reserve lipids of marine macroalgae are summarized. A brief description of the prevalence of glycolipids, phospholipids, betaine lipids, sterols and triacylglycerols in various phyla of algae is provided. Particular attention is paid to the fundamental differences in the lipidome of green, red, and brown macroalgae. More than a hundred lipid molecular species identified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry are presented, and the relationship between the molecular composition of lipids and their role in the cell is discussed. The potential of lipidomic studies of marine macroalgae for the discovery of biologically active lipids and promising molecular markers of their physiological state is emphasized.</p>