Melanotan II
A potent synthetic alpha-MSH analog used for tanning, which also affects libido and appetite.
Not approved anywhere; a related peptide, afamelanotide (Scenesse), is approved for a light-sensitivity disease.
Used for
- Tanning with less sun
- Libido (the parent compound of PT-141)
- Appetite suppression
How it works
Activates melanocortin receptors in the skin (MC1: melanin) and brain (MC3/MC4: libido and appetite).
What the research shows
- A small 1996 phase 1 study showed tanning after 5 low doses every other day, plus nausea and spontaneous erections.
- Afamelanotide implants (a safer MT-I analog) increased pain-free sun time in erythropoietic protoporphyria.
Dosing
Dosing isn’t listed on the public site. In the app, each published option is shown with its source (a drug label, a clinical guideline, a trial or community reports) and can be turned into a protocol you review.
Work out the units to draw for your vial →Side effects
- Nausea, flushing
- Spontaneous erections
- New or darker moles and freckles
Cautions
- New or changing moles need a dermatologist; case reports link it to melanoma.
- Rare reports of kidney injury and priapism.
- Research-chemical vials have no quality control: purity, dose and sterility vary. Third-party testing helps but is no guarantee.
Storage
Unmixed powder: freezer or fridge, away from light.
Once mixed with bacteriostatic water: fridge; the common rule is to use it within 28 days.
There is no label or published stability data for this one, so treat these as habits, not limits.
Stability once mixed
A ring-shaped (cyclic) peptide, which usually resists breakdown. No label for a vial you mix.
Heat, shaking, freezing a mixed vial, light and many needle punctures all speed breakdown. Toss it if it turns cloudy, grows specks or changes color.
More in Sexual health & tanning
Reference only, not medical advice. Written for this app from the cited research. Doses marked community-reported are not from trials.