Sexual health & melanocortin

Melanotan II

Also called MT-II, MT2, melanotan 2

Melanotan II is a lab-made peptide that copies a skin-darkening hormone (α-MSH). It is sold illegally online as a 'tanning injection' and for sex drive, but it has never been approved as a medicine anywhere. Health agencies in the US, UK and Australia have warned against it, and case reports link it to fast-changing moles and melanoma.

Early human dataSome small human studies exist; evidence is limited.

All printable flashcards

Drawn from its published sequence: 7 residues, one bead each. Dashed arcs are ring bonds.

Overview

How it works

It activates several melanocortin receptors without much selectivity. MC1R activation in skin pigment cells increases melanin (tanning); actions at brain melanocortin receptors (e.g., MC4R) affect sexual arousal and appetite. Bremelanotide (PT-141), an approved drug, is a close chemical relative.

What research shows

Small early clinical studies found increased skin melanin and, in one study, some protection against sunburn; larger confirmatory trials were never done ⁵.
Most current human experience comes from unsupervised use of unregulated products, documented through case reports ⁴⁵.

Doses studied in people

No dose from a verified published trial or label; doses circulating online come from illicit-market use.

Read this first: these are the amounts given to participants in published studies or written on official prescribing labels, reported for reference. They are not recommendations. Trial doses were chosen for specific patients under medical supervision, and a dose that is safe in one person can be harmful in another.

Weekly protocol

How the schedule looks week by week. Each chart says where it comes from: a prescribing label, a clinical trial, or a protocol commonly reported online.

Pilot phase I study (Dorr 1996)

Clinical trial

One week

D1D2D3D4D5D6D7

Every other day (5 doses over 2 weeks) · Subcutaneous injection

Dose by week

0.01 mg/kg, raised in 0.005 mg/kg steps to 0.025–0.03 mg/kgwk 1–2

Course: 2 weeks
Note: 3 men, single-blind with saline on alternate days. The authors recommended 0.025 mg/kg/day for later studies.
Source: Dorr RT et al. Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study. Life Sci 1996;58(20):1777-1784

Commonly reported tanning protocol

Commonly reported, not studied

One week

D1D2D3D4D5D6D7

Once daily while loading, then 1–2 times weekly · Subcutaneous injection

Syringe units (U-100)

Vial Water added

Dose by week

250 mcgLoading · wk 1

500 mcgLoading · wk 2

750 mcgLoading · wk 3

1,000 mcgLoading · wk 4–8

500–1,000 mcg, 1–2 times weeklyMaintenance · wk 9+

Course: 6–8 weeks loading, then maintenance
Note: Other guides list 0.25–0.5 mg daily for 1–3 weeks, then 0.5–1 mg 1–2 times weekly. Not approved anywhere; regulators have warned about mole changes and other serious side effects.
Source: PeptideDosages.com: Melanotan II (10 mg vial) dosage protocol
Also: Peptide Protocol Wiki: Melanotan II dosing protocols

Reference only, not a recommendation. Charts marked "commonly reported" describe what public sources say people use. They have not been tested in trials, and their safety and effect are unknown. Label and trial schedules were set for specific patients under medical supervision. Use the calculator only to understand the arithmetic.

Vial math

Many research vials hold 5 or 10 mg of powder. This table shows how much ends up in each mark on a U-100 insulin syringe for common amounts of added liquid. It is arithmetic only, not a dose.

Vial	Liquid added	Concentration	Per unit (0.01 mL)
5 mg	1 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	2 mL	2.5 mg/mL	25 mcg	Open in calculator
5 mg	3 mL	1.67 mg/mL	16.7 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	1 mL	10 mg/mL	100 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	2 mL	5 mg/mL	50 mcg	Open in calculator
10 mg	3 mL	3.33 mg/mL	33.3 mcg	Open in calculator

More sizes: all vial sizes · How this works: Syringes and units · Reconstitution guide.

Safety

Case reports link use to melanoma and to rapid changes in moles, which can make skin cancer harder to detect ⁴⁵.
Reported serious effects include systemic toxicity and muscle damage ⁴.
Illicit products have unknown purity and dose and carry infection risk from unsterile injection ⁵.
Long-term safety is unknown.

Report side effects of any drug or product to the FDA through MedWatch. For a possible poisoning in the US, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222.

Legal status

FDA: Not FDA-approved for any use; FDA warned a seller in 2007 for marketing it as an unapproved, misbranded drug ³⁴.
Compounding: Listed by FDA under 'nominated but withdrawn' and removed from Category 2 in April 2026; not eligible for compounding. FDA plans PCAC review (nominated uses: obesity, erectile dysfunction) before end of February 2027 ¹²⁷.
Sports (WADA): Not named on the 2026 List. Likely captured by S0 (non-approved substances, prohibited at all times) if it has no current government approval for human therapeutic use anywhere — confirm with your anti-doping organization ⁹.
Other: UK MHRA warned (2009) that melanotan products are unlicensed and sold illegally; Australia's TGA lists it as prescription-only with no approved products and issued 27 infringement notices to a supplier (paid May 2026) ⁵⁶. FDA's August 24, 2026 warning letters to online peptide sellers did not name Melanotan II ⁸.

Rules change often. See Legal status of peptides for how these categories work.

History

Developed as an experimental sunless-tanning agent but never approved. FDA acted against a US seller (Melanocorp) in 2007 for marketing it as an unapproved drug ³. In the US it was on FDA's Category 2 compounding safety list until the nomination was withdrawn (removed April 2026); FDA plans to bring it to its compounding advisory committee before February 2027 ¹⁷.

Common questions

Is Melanotan II legal or approved?

No. It has never been approved as a medicine, and FDA warned a US seller in 2007 for marketing it as an unapproved drug ³⁴. The UK regulator calls it unlicensed and illegally sold, and Australia lists it as prescription-only with no approved products ⁵⁶.

Can pharmacies compound Melanotan II?

No. FDA lists its nomination as withdrawn and it is not eligible for compounding, though FDA plans an advisory committee review before the end of February 2027 ¹²⁷.

What does the research show?

Small early studies found more skin melanin and, in one study, some protection from sunburn, but larger confirming trials were never done ⁵. Most human experience comes from unsupervised use, documented in case reports ⁴⁵.

What doses were studied?

No dose from a verified published trial or label exists. Doses seen online come from illicit-market use.

What are the risks?

Case reports link it to melanoma and fast-changing moles, which can make skin cancer harder to spot ⁴⁵. Illicit products have unknown purity and dose and carry infection risk from unsterile injection ⁵.

Is Melanotan II banned in sport?

It is not named on WADA's 2026 list, but it is likely covered by the S0 'prohibited at all times' rule if no government anywhere has approved it for human use ⁹.

Sold in blends and stacks

Melanotan II + PT-141

Related compounds

Sexual health & melanocortinFDA-approvedFlashcard

PT-141 (bremelanotide)

bremelanotide · Vyleesi

Bremelanotide, often called PT-141, is a lab-made peptide that acts on melanocortin receptors in the brain.

Sexual health & melanocortinFDA-approvedFlashcard

Afamelanotide

Scenesse · [Nle4, D-Phe7]-α-MSH

Afamelanotide is a lab-made, longer-lasting copy of the skin-darkening hormone α-MSH.

Sources

Last reviewed 2026-10-25 · How we research · Found an error? See our corrections policy.