Family · sexual
Melanotan II
MT-II, MT-2
A non-selective melanocortin-receptor agonist activating MC1R (on skin melanocytes, driving pigmentation) and MC3R/MC4R (implicated in central sexual-arousal pathways). It was an early-stage research compound from the same melanocortin program that later produced two separate, more selective approved drugs.
Melanotan II itself was never carried through clinical development to approval. Its pigmentation-focused relative afamelanotide (Scenesse) and its arousal-focused relative bremelanotide (Vyleesi) are the molecules that reached regulatory approval — Melanotan II did not. Human data on Melanotan II consist almost entirely of case reports and case series documenting adverse events from unsupervised 'tanning injection' use, not controlled trials establishing benefit.
- Historically explored in early-stage research as a tanning agent and for sexual arousal, before development moved to its more selective, approved analogs
- Widely sold and self-administered off-label, outside any medical or regulatory framework, as a tanning and libido product
Educational overview only — no dosing instructions in the public hub.
Serious, well-documented risks include: darkening, enlargement or new atypical moles, with published case reports of melanoma arising in temporal association with use; priapism (a prolonged, painful erection that is a medical emergency); nausea and facial flushing; diffuse skin hyperpigmentation; and rare reports of systemic toxicity/rhabdomyolysis after overdose. Anyone with a personal or family history of melanoma or atypical/dysplastic moles should treat this compound with particular caution and seek dermatologic evaluation for any new or changing mole, used or not.
A third-party CoA (purity + quantification + MS) can confirm what is actually in a vial, but cannot mitigate the compound's inherent biological risks — it is not a substitute for medical evaluation of skin changes or acute symptoms.
Not approved for human use by any medicines regulator (not the FDA, EMA, or UK MHRA). It is sold online as an unregulated 'research chemical' or tanning product, and several national regulators and poison-control bodies have issued public warnings against its use.
Frequently asked questions
- What is Melanotan II used for?
- Historically explored in early-stage research as a tanning agent and for sexual arousal, before development moved to its more selective, approved analogs. Widely sold and self-administered off-label, outside any medical or regulatory framework, as a tanning and libido product. Melanotan II itself was never carried through clinical development to approval. Its pigmentation-focused relative afamelanotide (Scenesse) and its arousal-focused relative bremelanotide (Vyleesi) are the molecules that reached regulatory approval — Melanotan II did not. Human data on Melanotan II consist almost entirely of case reports and case series documenting adverse events from unsupervised 'tanning injection' use, not controlled trials establishing benefit.
- Is Melanotan II legal in Europe?
- Not approved for human use by any medicines regulator (not the FDA, EMA, or UK MHRA). It is sold online as an unregulated 'research chemical' or tanning product, and several national regulators and poison-control bodies have issued public warnings against its use.
- What are the risks and side effects of Melanotan II?
- Serious, well-documented risks include: darkening, enlargement or new atypical moles, with published case reports of melanoma arising in temporal association with use; priapism (a prolonged, painful erection that is a medical emergency); nausea and facial flushing; diffuse skin hyperpigmentation; and rare reports of systemic toxicity/rhabdomyolysis after overdose. Anyone with a personal or family history of melanoma or atypical/dysplastic moles should treat this compound with particular caution and seek dermatologic evaluation for any new or changing mole, used or not.
- How is the quality of Melanotan II assessed?
- A third-party CoA (purity + quantification + MS) can confirm what is actually in a vial, but cannot mitigate the compound's inherent biological risks — it is not a substitute for medical evaluation of skin changes or acute symptoms.