WhichPeps

Melanotan II

Cyclic melanocortin peptide analogue

Also known as: MT2· community shorthandMelanotan 2· name variant
Pigmentation and sexual…
Generic peptide vial illustrationMelanotan II
Evidence levelHuman evidence
Human evidenceLimited
Regulatory statusNot FDA-approved

What you need to know in 20 seconds

What is it?Cyclic melanocortin peptide analogue
Research focusPigmentation and sexual-function research
Human evidenceVery small human studies demonstrate pigmentation and erectogenic/sexual-desire effects, including placebo-controlled ED studies, but these do not establish routine therapeutic or cosmetic use.
Regulatory statusNot FDA-approved as a tanning medicine; FDA lists significant safety concerns for compounded Melanotan II.
Main limitationsLong-term cosmetic/sexual efficacy, chronic safety, safe self-use or an approved regimen.
SafetyNausea, somnolence, spontaneous erections/priapism and other effects; FDA notes serious case reports including melanoma, PRES and sympathomimetic toxidrome, without implying all are causal.
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Very small human studies demonstrate pigmentation and erectogenic/sexual-desire effects, including placebo-controlled ED studies, but these do not establish routine therapeutic or cosmetic use.

What the evidence actually supports

  • ✓Human tanning activity is biologically demonstrated, but the evidence base is far too small to infer safe routine use.
  • ✓The existence of a tanning effect should not be conflated with an established safety profile.
  • ✓Direct target effect exists, but this is far below the evidence needed for routine cosmetic use.
  • ✓Useful human pharmacology, not a routine treatment recommendation.

What is not established / key limitations

  • ×No controlled long-term efficacy/safety evidence.
  • ×No robust long-term controlled safety programme.
  • ×No controlled evidence establishes long-term cosmetic benefit-risk or safe chronic tanning use.
  • ×The compound is not an approved ED medicine and long-term safety is not established.

Selected study & evidence records

Pilot Phase I melanotan II human study

1996 · Phase I pilot · n=3

Pigmentation increased in all three volunteers.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

Melanotan II in men with organic erectile dysfunction

2000 · Double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study · n=10

Subjective erections occurred after 12/19 active injections versus 1/21 placebo doses; desire was higher after Melanotan II.

Study detail → Primary source ↗

Safety and unknowns

Nausea, somnolence, spontaneous erections/priapism and other effects; FDA notes serious case reports including melanoma, PRES and sympathomimetic toxidrome, without implying all are causal.

Nausea is common in early studies; FDA summarizes serious case-report signals including melanoma, priapism, sympathomimetic toxidrome and posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome. Product quality is an additional risk.

Technical details

Mechanism / biologyAgonist at melanocortin receptors, producing melanogenic and other central effects.
Route / formulation boundarySmall research trials do not establish safety of internet-sourced tanning products.
Identity / data-quality noteUse the canonical compound identity and studied formulation when interpreting evidence.
Dosing evidence statusVerified dosing evidence added. Published Phase I human regimen. See dosing_evidence records for route, regimen, population, duration and source.
Identifiers & alternate namesMT2 · MT-2 · Melanotan 2 · MT2 TAN

Evidence rule: WhichPeps keeps human, animal, laboratory, regulatory and product/formulation evidence distinct. Common names help people find the page; they do not change the underlying scientific identity.