Melanotan-2
Skin & hair Research only Human trials
Also called MT-2, Melanotan II
A small ring-shaped analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone developed at the University of Arizona. It activates several melanocortin receptors, so alongside tanning it affects sexual arousal and appetite. Nausea, flushing and darkening of moles are commonly reported.
Why people take it
What studies report
- Tanning without sun exposure
- Increased sexual arousal and spontaneous erections in early studies
- Reduced appetite
In practice Unapproved use
- Used as a loading period followed by maintenance to hold a tan
- The community is well aware of mole darkening and generally advises skin checks
- Nausea on early administrations is expected and usually passes
Science hasn't caught up: Widely used despite case reports of new melanomas and regulator warnings — one of the clearest cases where popularity outruns safety data.
Reported real-world use, not evidence and not a recommendation.
Worth knowing: Not approved anywhere. Linked in case reports to nausea, severe mole darkening, new melanomas, kidney injury and priapism. Regulators have issued warnings.
Status: Never approved. Health regulators in several countries have warned against its use.
- Route
- Subcutaneous injection, from reconstituted lyophilised powder
- Sequence
- Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2
- Formula
- C50H69N15O9
- Molecular weight
- 1024.2 g/mol
- CAS
- 121062-08-6
- Available as
- 10 mg
Educational information only. Nothing here is medical advice, a dosing protocol, or a recommendation to use any compound. Most entries describe substances not approved for human use. Talk to a licensed clinician before acting on anything you read here. How to read these entries.