Despite the significant progress in fundamental research in the physics of atmospheric icing or the revolutionary changes in modern materials and coatings associated with the recently achieved development of nanotechnology and synthetic chemistry, the problem of reliable protection against atmospheric icing remains unresolved yet. Thus, there is still an urgent need to protect aircraft and their equipment from icing, both in flight and during ground parking, which would improve the safety of air transport. The icing of windshields and structural parts of vehicles, being a frequent consequence of weather phenomena, greatly complicates the work of personnel in countries with a cold climate and, in some cases, leads to a disruption in transport systems and an increase in accidents. In shipping and offshore oil production, the same problems associated with atmospheric icing cause, on the one hand, significant economic losses, and, on the other hand, also may lead to accidents with human casualties. No less significant negative effects of atmospheric icing are observed in the electric power industry and telecommunications infrastructure. In recent years, studies directed at the development of new colloid-chemical and materials science approaches to reduce the effects of atmospheric icing have been carried out on a wide front. In this paper, we will give a brief analysis of the mechanisms of anti-icing behavior that attracted the greatest interest of the scientific community and approaches which realize these mechanisms. We will note the strengths and weaknesses of such approaches and discuss the prospects for their further application to solve practical problems.