As being part of replacement material for petroleum-based structures, nanocelluloses are being considered as construction units for nanoscale materials engineering. Compared with others, nanocellulose are non-spherical particles that have been deployed as emulsion stabilisers by taking advantage of their self-assembling ability at the oil–water interface, forming ultra-stable Pickering systems. To visualise the nanoparticles at the surface of the drops, emulsion polymerisation might be carried out by using a hydrophobic unpolymerised monomer as dispersed oil phase for CNC-stabilised oil–water emulsions. Efforts have dealt with stimuli-responsive cellulosic nanomaterials for sensing, detection and separation. This has been approached by covalent surface modification or adsorption of different biopolymers on the surface. It may involve impregnation of responsive particles into a cellulosic matrix to prepare, such as photo-switchable films. Among the various applications using surfactants, there are a number of challenges of choice for nanocelluloses in complex formulations involving smart template organisation and functionalities.