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Melanotan II, often searched as melanotan 2 or MT-II, is a synthetic peptide modeled on alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH), the natural hormone that signals skin cells to make the pigment melanin. It is not FDA-approved for any use, and no approved medicine in the United States contains it.
Unlike alpha-MSH, melanotan II has a ring-shaped (cyclic) structure that makes it harder for the body to break down. It also acts on several melanocortin receptors rather than only the one involved in skin pigment, which helps explain why its reported effects go well beyond skin color.
The names sound alike, but these are different compounds with very different regulatory standing. Melanotan I, known by its generic name afamelanotide, is a linear peptide. On October 8, 2019, the FDA approved it as Scenesse, a slow-release implant for adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare genetic disorder that causes painful reactions to light. It is placed by a healthcare professional and is not approved as a cosmetic tanning product.
A second approved drug is also related. Bremelanotide, which was derived from melanotan II, was approved on June 21, 2019 as Vyleesi for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women. Neither approval covers melanotan II itself.
Melanotan II was developed at the University of Arizona in the same research program that produced melanotan I. A small pilot phase 1 study published in 1996 gave it to 3 healthy male volunteers. Two of them showed increased skin pigmentation, and the researchers also reported mild nausea, a stretching and yawning response, and spontaneous erections.
Those unexpected effects shaped what came next: the research line led to bremelanotide rather than to an approved tanning drug. Melanotan II never completed the large controlled trials the FDA requires, so there is no approved label, indication or safety profile for it.
Current status: Not FDA-approved. The FDA has not found melanotan II safe and effective for any use.
In 2007 the FDA sent a warning letter to a Tennessee company selling melanotan II online, stating that the product was being marketed illegally as a tanning agent and as a skin cancer preventative.
Compounding: The FDA had listed melanotan II in Category 2 of its interim 503A bulk substance lists, the group of substances that raise significant safety risks. In April 2026 it was one of 12 peptides removed from Category 2 after the nominators withdrew their nominations, and the FDA said its Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee will discuss melanotan II before the end of February 2027. Removal from Category 2 does not by itself make a substance eligible for compounding. As of the FDA's May 14, 2026 update, melanotan II is not on the 503A bulks list and is not in Category 1, the only group covered by the FDA's interim compounding policy.
Products labeled "for research purposes only" or "not for human consumption" are not approved drugs, so the FDA has not reviewed their contents, purity or sterility.
In its Category 2 safety summary, the FDA said compounded melanotan II may pose a risk of immunogenicity (an unwanted immune response) because of possible aggregation or peptide-related impurities. The FDA also noted published case reports describing serious adverse events, including melanoma, posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (a form of brain swelling), sympathomimetic toxidrome (an overstimulation reaction) and priapism (a prolonged, painful erection).
Case reports show what happened to individual people; they cannot show how often a problem occurs. Anyone who notices new moles, changing moles or unusual darkening of the skin should see a dermatologist.
Melanotan II is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) 2026 Prohibited List. The list's S0 class covers any pharmacological substance not addressed elsewhere on the list that has no current approval by any government health authority for human therapeutic use. Athletes should confirm the status of any substance with their anti-doping organization.
Peptide Labs does not sell this compound. This page is general information, not medical advice. We are not a pharmacy, we do not supply, prepare or distribute melanotan II in any form, and nothing on this page should be read as an offer.
If you have questions about melanotan II, tanning or changes in your skin, talk to a licensed healthcare provider who knows your medical history.
See the full list of compound profiles in the Peptide Guide. For the approved relatives, see our profiles of melanotan I (afamelanotide) and PT-141 (bremelanotide), or read whether peptides are legal in the U.S.
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