We present a general overview of the efforts devoted to the characterization of stratospheric aerosols. After recalling the most important parameters used to characterize aerosols, we present an overview of methods used for retrieving these parameters from radiative measurements. We subsequently review the most important climatological studies developed to characterize stratospheric aerosols, and analyse the main contributions and limitations of these works. Finally, we try to identify current topics of interest and perspectives in the field of aerosol characterization.