Pinc PeptideThe girly peptide research blog

Skin & tanning · Evidence tier B · #12 in test requests

Melanotan II

MT-II · MT2 · MTII · Melanotan 2 · ‘Barbie drug’ (street nickname) · ‘Barbie tan’ (street nickname)

Melanotan II is a lab-made tanning peptide sold online as injections and nasal sprays. It is not approved, we found only three tiny human studies of it12361, and case reports link it to melanoma4.

Last reviewed · First published · 63 sources · 31 min read · By the Pinc Peptide editors

Illustration: a glass vial with a pink label reading Melanotan II
Illustration, not a real product: an empty glass vial (photo: Missouri Historical Society, public domain) with our label. See every vial.

Quick answers

What is it?
A lab-made peptide based on a natural hormone that makes skin cells produce pigment115. It is sold online for tanning, as injections and nasal sprays67. Its nickname is the ‘Barbie drug’1112.
Does it work?
Barely tested for tanning. In the only human tanning study we found, from 1996, 2 of 3 men got darker skin1. Two tiny placebo-controlled trials found it caused erections in men23.
Is it safe?
Not proven safe. In its tiny, short trials, nausea, yawning and spontaneous erections were common123. Case reports link it to mole changes, melanoma, hours-long erections and kidney injury, though none proves cause48951.
Is it legal?
Not approved, and illegal to sell for human use in the US567. US pharmacies may not make it1332. Sport’s banned list does not name it. In our reading, its ban on unapproved drugs covers it1438.
What is in the vials?
Products are unreliable. Finnrick, a testing service, failed 67 of 182 samples from February 2025 to September 202643. In August 2026, 7NEWS reported that Australia’s drug regulator found an estimated 22 to 54 mg in bottles of a spray labeled 30 mg12.

What it is

Melanotan II (MT-II) is a synthetic peptide: a chain of seven amino acids closed into a ring15. It is modeled on alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), the body’s own signal that tells pigment cells to make melanin1. MT-II switches on several melanocortin receptors rather than one, so researchers call it non-selective16. Activating MC1R, the receptor on pigment cells, darkens the skin, while activating MC3R and MC4R is linked to sexual arousal and spontaneous erections17. The erection effect works through the brain18. In rats, MT-II also cut food intake and weight gain19. It differs from bremelanotide (PT-141, sold as Vyleesi) only at one end of the chain: bremelanotide ends in a free acid, melanotan II in an amide152021. It is also a different drug from afamelanotide (melanotan I), a longer 13-amino-acid peptide sold as the Scenesse implant2223.

A team based at the University of Arizona (Al-Obeidi, Castrucci, Hadley and Hruby) described a set of potent, long-acting ring-shaped analogs of alpha-MSH in 198924. The one now called melanotan II was 90 times as potent as alpha-MSH in a lizard-skin test124. The Arizona group then tested melanotan I, a linear analog, for tanning and melanotan II for erectile dysfunction25. MT-II’s effect on erections was found by accident during the tanning work18. Palatin Technologies developed PT-141 (bremelanotide) as a new MT-II analog25, and FDA approved it as Vyleesi on 21 June 201926. MT-II itself has no FDA approval5.

Benefits: what the research shows

The best human evidence is small and old. Two double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trials, in which each man received both drug and placebo, tested injections in men with erectile dysfunction and report results at 0.025 mg/kg; a 2007 review by the same group says the first also gave higher doses, up to 0.157 mg/kg2359. In 10 men whose erectile dysfunction had no known physical cause, 8 had erections, with 38.0 minutes of strong rigidity versus 3.0 minutes on placebo2. In 10 men with physical risk factors, erections followed 12 of 19 injections versus 1 of 21 placebo doses, and sexual desire rose3. These trials meet the bar for tier B, but they are tiny, short studies of erections, not of tanning, the main use it is sold for6. For tanning, the only human study we found is a 1996 single-blind pilot in 3 healthy men, all of whom got the drug: 2 had measurably darker skin one week after about five low doses given on alternate weekdays1. The Arizona group went on to test melanotan I, not MT-II, for tanning25. We found no trial of MT-II’s long-term safety, of courses longer than 2 weeks or of nasal use6162. Its effects on appetite and weight come from rat studies1927. Trials of bremelanotide and afamelanotide tested different molecules and do not count here. A 2026 registry record for an MT-II vitiligo trial describes itself as an ‘example’ record, so we do not treat it as evidence28.

Key human studies

StudyDesignPeopleDose and routeResult
Wessells H, et al. J Urol. 1998;160(2):389-932PubMed Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial 10 0.025 to 0.157 mg/kg subcutaneous, according to a 2007 review by the same group; results reported at 0.025 mg/kg Erections in 8 of 10 men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction. Mean time at over 80% tip rigidity was 38.0 min on MT-II vs 3.0 min on placebo (p=0.0045). Nausea, stretching and yawning, and reduced appetite were more common on MT-II.
Wessells H, et al. Urology. 2000;56(4):641-63PubMed · DOI Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover trial 10 0.025 mg/kg subcutaneous, two doses each of MT-II and placebo In men with organic risk factors, erections followed 12 of 19 MT-II injections vs 1 of 21 placebo doses. Tip rigidity over 80% lasted 45.3 vs 1.9 min (P=0.047). Sexual desire was higher after MT-II. Severe nausea followed 4 of 19 injections.
Dorr RT, et al. Life Sci. 1996;58(20):1777-841PubMed · DOI Pilot Phase 1, single-blind, alternating-day saline control 3 0.01 mg/kg rising to 0.025–0.03 mg/kg subcutaneous, about 5 doses over 2 weeks 2 of 3 healthy men had increased pigmentation of the face, upper body and buttock 1 week after dosing ended. Mild nausea at most doses, somnolence and fatigue at 0.03 mg/kg in 1 of 2 men, and spontaneous erections 1–5 hours after doses.
Wessells H, et al. Int J Impot Res. 2000;12 Suppl 4:S74-916PubMed · DOI Pooled report of the two crossover trials above 20 0.025 mg/kg subcutaneous Erections in 17 of 20 men without sexual stimulation. Increased desire after 13 of 19 (68%) MT-II doses vs 4 of 21 (19%) placebo doses (P<0.01). Severe nausea in 12.9% at 0.025 mg/kg.

Doses studied

Doses below are what studies used or what a label says. They are not advice, and gray-market products may not contain what their label says.

In human studies

The trials used body-weight doses injected under the skin. The 1996 pilot started 3 men at 0.01 mg/kg and raised the dose in 0.005 mg/kg steps to 0.025–0.03 mg/kg, alternating with saline on weekdays for 2 weeks. After 0.03 mg/kg caused somnolence and fatigue in 1 of 2 men, the authors recommended 0.025 mg/kg per day for future studies1. In the erectile dysfunction trials, the 1998 trial gave doses from 0.025 to 0.157 mg/kg, according to a 2007 review by the same research group, and its abstract reports results at 0.025 mg/kg259; the 2000 trial gave 0.025 mg/kg twice and placebo twice3. We found no human study of the nasal spray, of courses longer than 2 weeks or of the fixed microgram doses used online6162.

In animal studies

In rats, 2 mg/kg injected into the abdominal cavity (intraperitoneal) once daily for 4 days reduced food intake and weight gain19. In hormone-primed female rats, 1 and 3 mg/kg intravenously increased solicitation behaviors40. In lean and diet-induced obese rats, a brain infusion of 1 nmol/day for 6 days reduced body weight and visceral fat27. A rat study of how the body handles the drug (pharmacokinetics) used 0.3 mg/kg intravenously41. These are animal doses, not human doses.

What users report Anecdotal · not validated · not a recommendation

One dosing site lists 250 µg (micrograms) to 1 mg a day, injected under the skin42.

Routes
  • Subcutaneous injection (the only route with human trial data we found)
  • Nasal spray (sold widely; no human trial data found)
  • Tablets (named by Australian news as a form it can be sold in; no human data found)
  • Intravenous, intraperitoneal and brain infusion (animal studies only)

Every dose studied for Melanotan II, with sources →

Quality and the gray market

What testing finds

Independent tests show large dose and purity problems. A Danish hospital lab tested vials bought from three online shops that each claimed 10 mg per vial and found 4.32–8.84 mg of melanotan II, with 4.1–5.9% unknown impurities in two shops’ vials10. A Belgian forensic lab found that powder in vials labeled ‘Melanotan II’, submitted to it for identification, was 30% pure11. 7NEWS reported on 18 August 2026 that Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) had recently tested five bottles of a nasal spray labeled ‘Pure Tans Triple Strength 30 MG’ and estimated 22 mg to 54 mg of melanotan II per bottle12. As of 8 October 2026, the testing service Finnrick listed 182 melanotan II tests of products from 45 vendors, dated 19 February 2025 to 14 September 2026. Of these, 110 passed, 67 failed and 5 were incomplete, so about 38% of completed tests failed (our calculation). Finnrick’s ‘purity focus’ standard is 99.5% purity or better and a dose within 35% of the label43. FDA recall records list two US compounding pharmacies’ melanotan II injections recalled for lack of sterility assurance, in recalls that began on 17 December 2018 and 5 April 202263.

How it is sold

Sellers market melanotan II as ‘research use only’ vials and nasal sprays. GQ reported on 12 August 2026 that a 10 mg vial or nasal spray costs roughly $40, and that the chemicals largely come from factories in China6. 7NEWS reported that melanotan products can be sold as nasal sprays, injections or tablets, and that influencers promote it on TikTok and Instagram12. It is nicknamed the ‘Barbie drug’ or ‘Barbie tan’1112. Dosing advice is crowdsourced online6. A study of 623 posts by 205 people on UK and Irish forums (2016–2017) found dosing regimens and sunbed use among the main themes44. Demand is small next to weight-loss peptides: by our count of the monthly figures behind Finnrick’s chart of test requests, melanotan II drew 278 of the 21,253 requests logged from May 2025 to May 2026, about 1.3%45. Ireland’s HPRA detained 6 units of ‘Melanotan 2’ in 2020, 790 in 2021, a peak of 1,329 in 2023 and 1,146 in 202534. ABC News reported on 5 June 2026 that senior Australian dermatologists had seen a growing number of patients with multiple atypical moles after using it46.

Side effects and risks

  • Mole changes: new, darker or atypical moles can appear within days to weeks. The Skin Cancer Foundation warns that such rapid changes can make skin cancer harder to detect6947.
  • Melanoma: case reports describe melanoma or melanoma in situ (early melanoma confined to the top layer of skin) after use, in some cases alongside sunbed use. A causal link is not proven894849.
  • Priapism: erections lasting many hours have needed emergency drainage or surgery, and two men still had erection problems 4 and 15 weeks later1750.
  • Whole-body toxicity: after injections, people have developed a racing heart, sweating and agitation, muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis) and kidney injury5152. Kidney infarction and PRES, a type of brain swelling, have also been reported5354.
  • Common side effects in trials: nausea (severe after 4 of 19 injections in one trial), stretching and yawning, reduced appetite, and somnolence and fatigue at the highest pilot dose123.
  • Unknown contents: underdosed, overdosed and impure products are common because nothing is regulated. FDA says impurities or clumping (aggregation) could trigger immune reactions41043.
  • Legal and anti-doping risk: an individual in New South Wales received 27 infringement notices (fines) over alleged unlawful supply, and athletes risk a violation under WADA’s S0 class (our inference)1214.

Documented harms

  • 22 Jun 2012UK dermatologists reported melanoma in situ associated with melanotan injections49.
  • 5 Nov 2012A 39-year-old man in the US injected 6 mg of internet-bought melanotan II. He developed a racing heart, sweating and muscle breakdown (peak CPK 17,773 IU/L) with kidney injury and spent 3 days in intensive care. Mass spectrometry confirmed the product was melanotan II51.
  • May 2013A patient developed multiple new atypical moles within one week of two melanotan injections47.
  • 7 May 2013A letter in Annals of Internal Medicine linked melanotan to posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES), a type of brain swelling54.
  • 18 Dec 2013A 20-year-old woman in Denmark with fair skin was diagnosed with melanoma three months after a 3- to 4-week course of melanotan II injections taken to boost sunbed tanning48.
  • 21 Feb 2019A man in Scotland developed priapism after injecting melanotan into his abdomen. It was treated by draining the penis and injecting phenylephrine, and his erections had not recovered 4 weeks later50.
  • 18 Jan 2020Swedish doctors reported a kidney infarction (loss of blood supply to part of a kidney) that they judged most likely caused by melanotan II53.
  • 15 Jan 2021A 55-year-old man in the US arrived with a 30-hour erection after injecting melanotan II. Drainage and phenylephrine failed, surgery was needed, and 15 weeks later the man had new erectile dysfunction17.
  • 19 May 2022A 27-year-old man in the Netherlands went to an emergency department with sympathomimetic symptoms (an adrenaline-like overdrive) 2 hours after injecting melanotan II52.
  • 9 Apr 2025A 22-year-old woman in the UK who used a melanotan II nasal spray for tanning developed melanoma of the mouth lining in the upper jaw. She needed surgery and immunotherapy35.
  • 2 Dec 2025A 65-year-old woman in Scotland developed pyoderma gangrenosum, a rare ulcerating skin disease, at her melanotan injection sites. The wounds took months to heal55.
  • 3 Feb 2026Brown patches appeared on the gums and inner cheeks of a patient in Bulgaria who injected melanotan II for 64 days. Gum pigmentation persisted 3 months after stopping56.
  • 12 May 2026A 49-year-old man in the US who used melanotan II and I, tanning beds and unregulated testosterone saw his moles darken within about a week. Biopsies on 7 January 2026 found five melanomas in situ. The authors say causality is unproven9.
  • 5 Jun 2026An Australian dermatologist told ABC News that a teenage boy who injected melanotan II developed nearly 40 atypical moles. The moles that were removed were not melanoma46.
  • 30 Jul 2026FDA’s adverse event database (FAERS) held 11 reports naming a melanotan product. They include apparent duplicates: three 2020 Swedish reports of kidney infarction in a 45-year-old man, and five 2025–2026 reports of renal artery thrombosis in a 51-year-old man. Reports are unverified and do not prove cause57.
  • 18 Aug 20267NEWS reported that the TGA had previously warned of side effects including headache, nausea, vomiting and facial redness, and that reports associated with melanotan II have included more moles and freckles, kidney dysfunction and brain swelling12.
  • 25 Sep 2026A case report described white, depigmented patches on the face and neck after melanotan use in a patient with eczema and alopecia areata58.

Questions people ask

Is melanotan II the same as bremelanotide (PT-141)?

No, but they are close cousins. Bremelanotide has the same seven amino acids and the same ring but ends in a free acid, while melanotan II ends in an amide152021. Bremelanotide is FDA-approved as Vyleesi for low sexual desire in premenopausal women, and melanotan II is not approved for anything526.

Can melanotan II cause melanoma?

It is not proven. Case reports describe melanoma after use, and a 2017 review of melanotan I and II noted four case reports of melanomas arising in existing moles, while saying conclusive evidence of a link is lacking8. Many cases also involved sunbeds, and rapid mole changes can make skin cancer harder to spot6948.

Melanotan I vs melanotan II: what’s the difference?

Melanotan I is afamelanotide, a linear 13-amino-acid peptide. As the Scenesse implant it is FDA-approved for adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare light-sensitivity disorder, and its label calls it an MC1R agonist2230. Melanotan II is a shorter, ring-shaped, non-selective agonist that also causes erections and nausea, and it has no FDA approval516.

Is melanotan II banned in sports?

WADA does not name it on the 2026 or 2027 List1438. Because we found no approval for human use, it likely falls under S0, WADA’s catch-all ban on unapproved substances. That is our reading, not a WADA ruling, and WADA warns that unnamed peptides ‘may still be prohibited’39.

Does melanotan II actually tan the skin?

In the only human test we found, 2 of 3 men had darker skin on the face, upper body and buttock a week after about five low doses1. All 3 got the drug, with saline injections on the days between, so there was no untreated group to compare skin color with1. Searches of PubMed and ClinicalTrials.gov on 8 October 2026 found no other tanning trial and no long-term safety trial6162.

What is still unknown

  • No human half-life for melanotan II was found. Rat pharmacokinetic studies exist (Ugwu 1994, Mock 2002), but their abstracts give no values.
  • No tanning trial with a placebo comparison, and no trial of the nasal spray, of courses longer than 2 weeks or of long-term safety, was found in PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov on 8 October 2026.
  • A 2005 paper by the Arizona group says melanotan II increased sexual desire and genital arousal in women; its full text could not be opened, and no published trial in women was found in PubMed on 8 October 2026.
  • Whether melanotan II causes melanoma, or coincides with sunbed use and fair skin, is unknown.
  • A 2026 registry record (NCT07437560, sponsor ‘Hudson Biotech’) for an MT-II vitiligo trial calls itself an ‘example’ record. Its authenticity is doubtful and it was not treated as evidence.
  • Only the titles of some case reports could be checked, including the 2013 PRES letter (Kaski) and the 2026 depigmentation report (Ume).
  • FAERS reports are unverified and include duplicates; the true number of US adverse events is unknown.
  • Status in the EU and in countries other than the US, Australia, Canada, Ireland and the UK was not verified.
  • When FDA’s compounding advisers will meet on melanotan II, and what FDA will then decide. FDA has said only that the meeting will be before the end of February 2027, and had set no date by 8 October 2026.
  • How many people in the US use melanotan II is unknown.

Sources

  1. 1Evaluation of melanotan-II, a superpotent cyclic melanotropic peptide in a pilot phase-I clinical study Life Sciences, 1996. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  2. 2Synthetic melanotropic peptide initiates erections in men with psychogenic erectile dysfunction: double-blind, placebo controlled crossover study The Journal of Urology, Aug 1998. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  3. 3Effect of an alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone analog on penile erection and sexual desire in men with organic erectile dysfunction Urology, 1 Oct 2000. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  4. 4Certain Bulk Drug Substances for Use in Compounding that May Present Significant Safety Risks U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 22 Apr 2026. fda.gov
  5. 5Drugs@FDA data (openFDA drugsfda endpoint): search for melanotan as an active ingredient, no matches U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 29 Sep 2026. api.fda.gov · data query
  6. 6Inside the Weird New World of Peptide Tanning GQ, 12 Aug 2026. gq.com
  7. 7Import Alert 66-41: Detention Without Physical Examination of Unapproved New Drugs Promoted In The U.S. U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 1 Oct 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  8. 8Risks of unregulated use of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone analogues: a review International Journal of Dermatology, Oct 2017. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  9. 9Five primary melanomas in situ in a patient with recent tanning bed use, melanotan exposure, and anabolic hormone use JAAD Case Reports, Jul 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  10. 10Identification and characterization by LC-UV-MS/MS of melanotan II skin-tanning products sold illegally on the Internet Drug Testing and Analysis, Feb 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  11. 11Barbie drug identification: Not a child’s play Journal of Forensic Sciences, Nov 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  12. 12MT2 ‘Barbie-tan’ peptide warning as TGA seizes nasal spray with wildly different doses 7NEWS (Australia), 18 Aug 2026. 7news.com.au
  13. 13Bulk Drug Substances Nominated for Use in Compounding Under Section 503A of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (categories list) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 14 May 2026. fda.gov
  14. 14World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency, 24 Sep 2025. wada-ama.org
  15. 15Melanotan II (CID 92432) PubChem, NCBI, accessed 1 Oct 2026. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  16. 16Melanocortin receptor agonists, penile erection, and sexual motivation: human studies with Melanotan II International Journal of Impotence Research, Oct 2000. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  17. 17Melanotan Tanning Injection: A Rare Cause of Priapism Sexual Medicine, Feb 2021. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  18. 18Discovery that a melanocortin regulates sexual functions in male and female humans Peptides, Oct 2005. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  19. 19MTII administered peripherally reduces fat without invoking apoptosis in rats Physiology & Behavior, Jul 2003. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  20. 20VYLEESI (bremelanotide injection) prescribing information Cosette Pharmaceuticals via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 13 Nov 2025. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
  21. 21Bremelanotide (CID 9941379) PubChem, NCBI, accessed 1 Oct 2026. pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  22. 22SCENESSE (afamelanotide) implant prescribing information Clinuvel via DailyMed (U.S. National Library of Medicine), 11 May 2026. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
  23. 23Therapeutic Goods (Poisons Standard—October 2026) Instrument 2026 (F2026L01327) Federal Register of Legislation, Australian Government, 28 Sep 2026. legislation.gov.au
  24. 24Potent and prolonged acting cyclic lactam analogues of alpha-melanotropin: design based on molecular dynamics Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, Dec 1989. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  25. 25Melanocortin peptide therapeutics: historical milestones, clinical studies and commercialization Peptides, Apr 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  26. 26Drugs@FDA: NDA 210557, Vyleesi (bremelanotide) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Drugs@FDA), accessed 1 Oct 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  27. 27Unabated anorexic and enhanced thermogenic responses to melanotan II in diet-induced obese rats despite reduced melanocortin 3 and 4 receptor expression Journal of Endocrinology, Jul 2004. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  28. 28Melanotan II (MT-II) as an Adjunct to NB-UVB Phototherapy for Repigmentation in Stable Nonsegmental Vitiligo (NCT07437560) ClinicalTrials.gov, 27 Feb 2026. clinicaltrials.gov
  29. 2921 CFR Part 1308, Schedules of Controlled Substances (eCFR, as of 25 September 2026) Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR), 25 Sep 2026. ecfr.gov
  30. 30Drugs@FDA: NDA 210797, Scenesse (afamelanotide) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (Drugs@FDA), accessed 1 Oct 2026. accessdata.fda.gov
  31. 31FDA Adds Several Peptides to Category 2 Bulks List, Restricting Them From Compounding Restore Health Consulting, 30 Oct 2023. restorehealthconsulting.com
  32. 32FDA to Remove 12 Popular Peptides from the Category 2 ‘Do Not Compound’ List Frier Levitt, 16 Apr 2026. frierlevitt.com
  33. 33Think twice before injecting peptides bought online: unauthorized products can seriously harm you (RA-81874) Health Canada, 9 Apr 2026. recalls-rappels.canada.ca
  34. 34Over 750,000 units of illegal medicines detained by the HPRA in 2025 Health Products Regulatory Authority (Ireland), 24 Mar 2026. hpra.ie
  35. 35Melanotan II nasal spray: a possible risk factor for oral mucosal malignant melanoma? International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Sep 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  36. 36OPSS Delivery Report 2025-2026 Office for Product Safety and Standards (UK), 5 Aug 2026. gov.uk
  37. 37Record 769 arrests and USD 65 million in illicit pharmaceuticals seized in global bust INTERPOL, 25 Jun 2025. interpol.int
  38. 38World Anti-Doping Code International Standard: Prohibited List 2027 World Anti-Doping Agency, 21 Sep 2026. wada-ama.org
  39. 39Summary of Major Modifications and Explanatory Notes: 2027 Prohibited List World Anti-Doping Agency, 21 Sep 2026. wada-ama.org
  40. 40The melanocortin agonist, melanotan II, enhances proceptive sexual behaviors in the female rat Pharmacology, Biochemistry and Behavior, Nov 2006. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  41. 41A comparison of HPLC and bioassay methods for plasma melanotan-II (MT-II) determination: application to a pharmacokinetic study in rats Biopharmaceutics & Drug Disposition, Jul 1994. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  42. 42Melanotan II (10 mg Vial) Dosage Protocol PeptideDosages.com, 20 Sep 2026. peptidedosages.com
  43. 43Melanotan II Safety Testing Results & Vendor Ratings Finnrick, accessed 1 Oct 2026. finnrick.com
  44. 44Melanotan II User Experience: A Qualitative Study of Online Discussion Forums Dermatology, 2021. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  45. 45We’d Rather Buy the Future Than Wait For It Finnrick, 10 Jun 2026. finnrick.com
  46. 46Abnormal moles seen developing in patients chasing perfect suntan by using peptide melanotan-II ABC News (Australia), 5 Jun 2026. abc.net.au
  47. 47Atypical melanocytic naevi following melanotan injection Irish Medical Journal, May 2013. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  48. 48Melanoma associated with the use of melanotan-II Dermatology, 2014. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  49. 49Melanotan-associated melanoma in situ Australasian Journal of Dermatology, Nov 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  50. 50Melanotan-induced priapism: a hard-earned tan BMJ Case Reports, 21 Feb 2019. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  51. 51Melanotan II injection resulting in systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis Clinical Toxicology, Dec 2012. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  52. 52The risks of tanning with the Barbie drug (in Dutch) Nederlands Tijdschrift voor Geneeskunde, 19 May 2022. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  53. 53Melanotan II: a possible cause of renal infarction: review of the literature and case report CEN Case Reports, May 2020. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  54. 54Melanotan and the posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome Annals of Internal Medicine, 7 May 2013. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  55. 55Pyoderma Gangrenosum Secondary to Melanotan Cureus, Dec 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  56. 56Changes in Oral Mucosa Associated with Melanotan II Injections: A Case Report Life (Basel), 3 Feb 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  57. 57FAERS reports naming a melanotan product (openFDA drug event endpoint; 11 reports) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 30 Jul 2026. api.fda.gov · data query
  58. 58Depigmented facial and neck patches following melanotan use in a patient with atopic dermatitis and alopecia areata Clinical and Experimental Dermatology, 25 Sep 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  59. 59Melanocortin receptors, melanotropic peptides and penile erection Current Topics in Medicinal Chemistry, 2007. pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  60. 60Meeting of the Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee (to be held before the end of February 2027) U.S. Food and Drug Administration, 15 Apr 2026. fda.gov
  61. 61PubMed search: melanotan in titles or abstracts, limited to clinical trials (8 results; 4 report the three melanotan II studies, 4 test melanotan I) National Library of Medicine (PubMed), accessed 8 Oct 2026. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  62. 62ClinicalTrials.gov search for ‘melanotan’ (1 study: the ‘example’ record NCT07437560) ClinicalTrials.gov, accessed 8 Oct 2026. clinicaltrials.gov
  63. 63Drug recall enforcement reports for products described as ‘melanotan’ (openFDA query; 3 records, two of them compounded melanotan II injections) U.S. Food and Drug Administration (openFDA), 30 Sep 2026. api.fda.gov · data query

Not medical advice. This page reports what studies and regulators say; it does not recommend using any product. How we grade evidence · Report an error.