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.
Evidence at a glance
- Evidence
- Human trials — Studied in people
- Status
- Research compound only
- Dosing
- No human study has set a dose
Not approved anywhere. Linked in case reports to nausea, severe mole darkening, new melanomas, kidney injury and priapism. Regulators have issued warnings.
What studies report
- Tanning without sun exposure
- Increased sexual arousal and spontaneous erections in early studies
- Reduced appetite
How it works
A ring-shaped analogue that activates several melanocortin receptors rather than one. MC1 gives the tanning, MC4 the appetite and sexual effects — the lack of selectivity is why it does so many things at once.
Where it acts
Acts in the skin, throughout the bodyThe library groups this compound under Skin & hair. The diagram shows that target, not every tissue it reaches.
Illustrated
AI-generated subject illustration; not a depiction of the compound or evidence of its effects.
Why people take it
Reasons people seek it out — not a list of proven effects.
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.
Dosing
No human study has established a dose for this compound.
What people report using Not evidence
- 250–500 mcg as a loading period, then less often to maintain
- Nausea on early doses is expected
No approved dosing exists anywhere. Case reports of new melanomas, kidney injury and priapism are associated with self-dosed use.
Reported for reference, not as instruction. Nothing here is a recommendation to take anything, and most of these compounds are not approved for human use.
Status: Never approved. Health regulators in several countries have warned against its use.
- Route
- Subcutaneous injection, from reconstituted lyophilised powder; also sold as a ready-made intranasal spray
- 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
Search PubMed for Melanotan-2 → We link a live search rather than a fixed citation list, so it stays current and nothing here is a reference we have not checked.
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.