Melanotan II
Melanotan II is an injectable or nasal peptide used for tanning and libido. It is not approved anywhere in the world, there is no legal way to get it in the US, and regulators in several countries have warned against it.
- Legal lane: gray market. Not FDA-approved and not legally compounded.
- Evidence grade: C, with serious safety signals
- Forms sold: injection, nasal spray
- Established human dose: none
What it is
Melanotan II is a synthetic peptide that switches on several melanocortin receptors at once. One of those receptors drives skin pigment, which produces the tan. Others affect appetite, blood pressure and sexual arousal, which is why its effects are not limited to skin.
What the evidence shows
Small human studies confirmed that it darkens skin and can cause erections, alongside nausea and flushing that limited the dose. It has never completed Phase 3 safety or effectiveness trials.
What has accumulated since is case reports and regulator data:
- Published case reports link use to melanoma, new and changing moles, prolonged erections, muscle breakdown and kidney injury.
- Australia's drug regulator logged 89 adverse event reports and two melanoma diagnoses in 18 months, and in February 2026 placed it in the same legal schedule as heroin.
- The UK regulator has warned of "serious health risks".
Case reports do not prove Melanotan II causes melanoma. Skin cancer specialists still advise against it, because a changed mole or a melanoma cannot be undone when the tan fades.
Legal status
Melanotan II was removed from the FDA's restricted category in April 2026, but removal is not approval. It is not on the list of substances pharmacies may compound, and it was not part of the October 2026 policy. An FDA advisory committee is due to consider it by the end of February 2027. Until then, every product on sale is unapproved and unverified.
Related approved drugs
Two FDA-approved drugs act on the same receptor family and are sometimes confused with it. Afamelanotide (Scenesse) is approved for a rare light-sensitivity disorder. Bremelanotide (Vyleesi) is approved for low sexual desire in premenopausal women. They are different molecules, and their safety data cannot be applied to Melanotan II.
Reported dosing
No dose has been established. No approved dosing exists anywhere, and because there is no legal product, there is no prescriber-directed practice to report. We are not repeating forum protocols for a compound with these safety signals.
If you have used it
Have a dermatologist check your skin, and get any new or changing mole looked at promptly.