In recent years, mussels have attracted great interest due to their strong adhesion ability independent of the material"s surface properties. At first, the paper introduced the main sources of strong wet adhesion and adhesion mechanism of mussels, and then summarized the latest research progress of mussel-inspired chemicals in flame-retardant coatings and flame-retardant additives at home and abroad, and pointed out that the mussel-inspired chemicals not only can improve the flame-retardant properties of various materials but also can endow the polymer materials with good hydrophobicity, antibacterial activity and UV resistance functions. Finally, the application prospects of mussel-inspired chemicals in the field of flame retardancy were envisioned, especially the catechol-amine-based coatings not only can achieve the adhesion function of dopamine hydrochloride but also have the advantages of good stability, easy storage and low cost, which have great potential value and development prospects in the field of flame retardancy and multifunctional modification of a variety of materials. It is pointed out that the rational use of mussel-inspired chemistry to fabricate multifunctional materials with excellent mechanical properties and develop low-cost mussel-inspired flame-retardant systems is important for future development.