Melanotan I: The Definitive Guide

What is Melanotan I?

Melanotan I (MT-I, often written MT1) is afamelanotide, a lab-made peptide of 13 amino acids that darkens skin by switching on its pigment cells. It is the only tanning peptide that became an approved medicine, as a slow-release implant for a rare disease that makes sunlight painful. [1], [2]

It copies alpha-MSH, the hormone that tells melanocytes (the skin's pigment cells) to make melanin. Two of its 13 building blocks are swapped for sturdier ones, which makes it far more potent and longer-lasting than the natural hormone. Researchers first described this molecule in 1980, and the University of Arizona tested it as a way to tan skin without sun exposure from 1991 onward. [3], [4], [5]

The approved form is Scenesse, a 16 mg implant for adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), authorised in the European Union in 2014, the United States in 2019, Australia in 2020 and Canada in 2026. That approval covers the implant for EPP only. Powders, injection kits and nasal sprays sold online as "Melanotan I" for tanning are not approved anywhere. You may also see it called NDP-MSH, [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH or CUV1647. [6], [7], [8], [9], [10], [1]

Typical Melanotan I Protocols

On both labels the dose is the same: one 16 mg implant every two months, placed subcutaneously by a trained professional, for adults with EPP. The implant is a small rod about 1.7 cm long that dissolves over 50–60 days, releasing most of its drug in the first few days. Neither label gives a dose for tanning, and both say sun protection must continue. [2], [11], [12]

What schedules do protocol websites describe?

Outside EPP clinics, "Melanotan I" is sold online as a freeze-dried powder that is mixed with water and injected, or as a nasal spray. These schedules come from dosing websites, not from trials.

The most common pattern in the reviewed dosing sources is a daily loading phase of 250–1,000 mcg by subcutaneous injection for about 1–2 weeks, followed by maintenance injections of 250–1,000 mcg one to three times a week. Most pages start at 250 or 500 mcg a day: of 22 independent pages that give a once-daily loading amount, 10 start at 250 mcg (several as a short tolerance step before 500–1,000 mcg) and 8 at 500 mcg. [16], [17], [18], [19], [20], [21], [22], [23]

Titration Changing the amount in steps

The usual approach starts low for a few days to check tolerance, then moves to the loading amount: for example 250 mcg a day for about five days, then 500–1,000 mcg; or 50 mcg rising to 200 mcg across the first week; or 500 mcg rising to 1,000 mcg after 2–3 days if it is tolerated. Some pages skip the starting step and begin at 500 mcg. The approved implant has no titration: every implant is 16 mg. [15], [13], [18], [14], [2]

Breaks and cycles

Loading usually ends when the wanted shade appears. After that, pages disagree: a 4–6-week cycle followed by a break, 1–2 weeks off before the next cycle, 4 weeks on and 8 weeks off, or open-ended maintenance for as long as the colour is wanted. No study has tested a break schedule for injections. The EU label for the implant leaves the length of treatment to the specialist. [13], [24], [20], [25], [11]

Read the units: mcg means micrograms; 1 mg equals 1,000 mcg. Loading is daily, so its weekly total is seven doses added together. A 16 mg implant is not the same as 16 mg of injections: it releases its drug over a few days, once every two months, so it cannot be converted into a daily or weekly injection amount (see where protocols differ). Nasal sprays are not included; their amounts cannot be compared.

Low, mid and high are alternatives, not steps to move through, and each row keeps its source's amounts and durations together. These schedules come from dosing websites and forum practice, not from trials, which mostly used weight-based injections for about 10 days, or the 16 mg implant; the cited references give the full details. [26], [27]

Cautions for every schedule above. The injection studies gave 0.08–0.16 mg per kilogram of body weight a day (about 5.6–11.2 mg a day for a 70 kg adult) for around 10 days, and higher doses brought no more tan but caused moderate stomach upset and tiredness. Moles and freckles can darken, and the labels advise a full skin check twice a year. A tan from Melanotan I does not replace sunscreen. The labels rule out use in pregnancy and breastfeeding (EU) and with liver or kidney impairment (EU), and serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis (a severe allergic reaction), have been reported with the implant. We found no published laboratory test of products sold as Melanotan I, and buyers often suspect some contain Melanotan II. [28], [29], [2], [11], [10], [30] People with a personal or family history of melanoma (a skin cancer) or other skin cancer, many or unusual moles, liver or kidney disease, pregnancy or breastfeeding, and anyone under 18 should read who should be especially cautious first.

Where protocols differ: study doses, the implant, sun exposure and nasal sprays ↓

What is Melanotan I commonly used for?

Most people who look up Melanotan I want a tan, or want to burn less, without spending long in the sun. Smaller groups are interested in its approved use for EPP, in vitiligo (patches of skin that have lost their pigment) and in other light-sensitive skin conditions. [10], [5]

Unlike most peptides sold online, several of these uses were tested in controlled human trials. What those trials measured, and what they did not, differs a lot from use to use, so each is covered separately below. [4], [27], [34]

Getting a tan with less sun

This is what Melanotan I was first tested for. In a 1991 placebo-controlled trial, 28 healthy men received 10 injections over 12 days while using a high-strength sunscreen; skin darkened in both poor tanners and good tanners, peaking 1–3 weeks after the last dose, and nobody on placebo darkened. Later studies found the tan was made of the dark pigment eumelanin and was greatest in people with the least pigment to start with. [4], [29], [35]

The face, neck and arms responded most; in one study the lower legs and buttocks did not darken at all. People online describe colour from a few days to more than six weeks, usually faster with sun or sunbeds. [28], [36], [37]

Does a Melanotan I tan protect against sunburn?

Partly, in small studies, but not enough to replace sunscreen. In a trial of 65 fair-skinned volunteers given injections for three 10-day courses, skin cells damaged by a measured dose of UV light (sunburn cells) fell by more than half in the volunteers who burned most easily, and a marker of DNA damage (thymine dimers) fell by 59%. In a smaller 2004 study, the 3 of 4 treated volunteers who tanned had 47% fewer sunburn cells after UV light. In a 2026 study of 9 people, a single implant slightly reduced skin redness after UV light. A 2024 conference abstract, which is low-grade evidence and did not say how many healthy volunteers took part, compared the same skin before and 7 days after one implant, with no placebo group, and reported lower levels of two DNA-damage markers after UV light; three of its authors worked for the manufacturer. [35], [26], [38], [39]

Both labels tell patients to keep up their usual sun protection, and Australia's medicines regulator says a melanotan tan will not protect against UV the way a suitable sunscreen will. Some people online report burning badly in the first weeks despite dosing. [2], [11], [10], [40], [41]

Light sensitivity in EPP (the approved use)

EPP is an inherited condition in which a light-sensitive substance called protoporphyrin builds up in the blood and skin. Visible light can cause burning pain within minutes, so many people with EPP avoid going outside. [42], [43]

In placebo-controlled trials, people given a 16 mg implant every 60 days spent more pain-free time in direct sunlight. The US trial reported a median of 69.4 versus 40.8 hours over six months. A European trial reported 6.0 versus 0.8 hours over nine months, with fewer painful reactions, but the European regulator later judged its main efficacy data unreliable and based the approval on the US trial (see the caveat). Clinic records later showed people tolerating sunlight for about 2–3 hours instead of 10–15 minutes. [27], [44], [43], [45]

Vitiligo, only alongside light therapy

In a trial of 55 adults with vitiligo, adding a monthly 16 mg implant to narrowband UVB light therapy gave more repigmentation than light therapy alone (about 49% versus 33% at 24 weeks), and colour returned about 20 days sooner on the face. The benefit was seen in darker skin types, not in the lightest group tested. In a small company study of the implant without light therapy, the skin did not repigment. [34], [46], [47]

A larger phase 3 trial of the implant with light therapy in about 200 people is registered and had no posted results when this guide was checked. [48]

Other uses you may come across

Small studies of the implant have looked at other light-triggered conditions, such as solar urticaria (hives caused by light) and polymorphic light eruption (a sun-triggered rash), and at Hailey-Hailey disease (a blistering skin condition), acne, variegate porphyria and acute stroke. None of these is an approved use; the results are summarized under what we know in people. [49], [50], [51]

Hair and beard darkening, mood, sleep and "brain health" claims appear online. No human study has tested them, and the brain findings come from animal studies (see the research library). [52], [53]

Where do Melanotan I protocols differ?

The recurring online amounts are easy to list. Here is where sources disagree, and what that means when reading a schedule.

How do website doses compare with the doses in studies?

They are much smaller per day but continue far longer. The Arizona injection studies used 0.08–0.16 mg per kilogram of body weight each day for about 10 days, which is about 5.6–11.2 mg a day for a 70 kg adult. A dose-ranging study tried 0.16, 0.26 and 0.4 mg/kg a day in 8 men: all of them tanned, the higher doses gave no extra colour, and they caused moderate stomach upset and tiredness. Website loading doses of 250–1,000 mcg are roughly 6–22 times smaller than the lowest daily study dose, and are then repeated for weeks or months. [54], [26], [28], [55]

Doserly

Doses in studies, the approved implant and websites

Injection studies (about 10 days)

0.08, 0.16, 0.26 and 0.4 mg/kg a day equal 5.6, 11.2, 18.2 and 28 mg a day for a 70 kg adult. That is arithmetic, not dose advice. Higher doses gave no extra tan above 0.16 mg/kg and caused more stomach upset and tiredness.

Approved implant (every 2 months)

16 mg released mostly within 2–5 days. This is a release timeline, not an amount per day on the logarithmic axis.

Dosing websites (weeks to months)

The described band is 0.25–1 mg. Most pages start at 0.25 or 0.5 mg once daily for 1–2 weeks, then describe 1–3 times a week. No website schedule was tested.

The amounts and schedules belong to different forms of evidence. None of the website schedules was tested.

Can the 16 mg implant be converted into injections?

No. Some pages divide 16 mg by 60 days and suggest about 2 mg a week or 8 mg a month as a "maintenance" injection, and one calculator turns the implant into a 320-unit syringe draw. The implant releases most of its drug within 48 hours and over 90% by day 5, so the body sees a short burst every two months, not a slow daily trickle. [31], [56], [32], [11]

Is Melanotan I dosed like Melanotan II?

Pages contradict each other. Some say Melanotan I needs about twice the Melanotan II dose because it acts mainly on skin pigment cells; others give the same 250–500 mcg range for both. No study has compared the two in people, so neither claim is tested. [15], [57]

Is a loading phase needed?

No trial has tested loading with fixed doses, but nearly every dosing page includes one, usually daily for 1–2 weeks. The daily-then-weekly pattern was described for Melanotan II before it appeared on Melanotan I pages: a bodybuilding forum post described "loading" in 2006, and a 2012 UK public-health report described loading until the wanted colour, then 1–3 maintenance doses a week. These sources show the pattern existed early; they do not show where it began. Community education groups disagree too: some describe loading as optional, while others advise at least a week of daily doses. [58], [59], [18]

Do you need sun or a sunbed?

This is where sources disagree most. The US label says afamelanotide increases eumelanin in the skin independently of sunlight or UV, and volunteers in the first trial darkened while using a high-strength sunscreen. Several dosing pages say it does not work without UV. [2], [4], [21], [60]

Both can be partly true. Public accounts mostly describe visible tanning only on skin that got sun, with little change or only darker freckles when there was little UV, while a few describe a light, even glow in winter. A tan that develops with sunbeds carries the sunbed's own skin-cancer risk. [61], [62], [63], [64], [65]

How high do sources go?

Most pages keep each injection at or below 1 mg, and one sets 1 mg as a ceiling because higher amounts add nausea rather than colour. Others list up to 2 mg per injection or 1 mg twice a day, and one converts the implant into 2 mg a week. People online describe up to 2 mg a day. None of these is a tested safe maximum; the only dose comparison in people found no extra tan above 0.16 mg per kilogram a day. [18], [33], [31], [66], [28]

How long, and are breaks needed?

No course length has been tested for the fixed-microgram injection schedules sold online; the earlier weight-based injection studies used courses of about 10 days, and one used a four-week schedule. Pages give 1–4 weeks of loading and then open-ended or seasonal maintenance; some add set cycles such as 4 weeks on and 8 weeks off. Some people online describe using a low maintenance dose for a year or more. The approved implant is repeated every two months for as long as the specialist decides. [26], [20], [13], [67], [68], [11]

Are nasal sprays the same protocol?

No. Nasal amounts cannot be compared with injected ones. One page gives 0.5 mg per spray two or three times a day and claims 20–30% absorption; another counts sprays without saying how much is in each and claims 10–30%. No human study has measured Melanotan I absorption through the nose, so those figures have no source. People online describe home-made sprays that they estimate at about 110 mcg per spray. [69], [70], [71], [72]

How do micrograms convert to syringe units?

Research Melanotan I is usually sold as a 10 mg powder that is mixed with sterile water before injection. On a U-100 insulin syringe, units measure volume, not drug. For example, 10 mg (10,000 mcg) mixed into 2 mL gives 5,000 mcg per mL, or 50 mcg per unit, so 500 mcg would be 10 units. The same 500 mcg is 15 units if the vial is mixed with 3 mL. Doserly's reconstitution calculator works this out for any vial and shows each step.

Unit mix-ups are common in public accounts, such as doses given in "units" without the vial strength, or a first injection accidentally ten times larger than intended. [73], [74], [75]

What happens when you stop Melanotan I?

The colour fades slowly, over weeks. No study has looked for withdrawal effects or a rebound, and none has been described. [11], [54]

• The tan. After 10 injections, the tan peaked about a week after the last dose and was still present three weeks later. With sun exposure, the extra tan lasted at least three weeks longer than a sun-only tan. After one implant, extra melanin was still measurable at about day 60. The EU label says the darker skin gradually fades unless another implant is given. People online describe colour fading over weeks to about two months. [54], [26], [49], [76], [11], [73]
• Moles and freckles. In 15 people with EPP given two implants, magnified skin checks showed thicker pigment patterns in moles at five months that had returned to normal by 12 months, with no signs of cancer and no new moles. Public accounts describe darker freckles and spots fading about four weeks after stopping, but some people say certain freckles stayed. [77], [78], [79]
• Pale patches. A man who self-injected about 50 mg of melanotan over two months developed patchy loss of pigment, which cleared eight weeks after he stopped. [80]
• Pregnancy planning. The EU label asks women who could become pregnant to use effective contraception during treatment and for three months after the last implant. [11]

The breaks and "off seasons" that websites describe are user conventions, not a response to known withdrawal effects.

Do the implant, injections and nasal sprays behave the same way?

No. Route changes how much reaches the blood and for how long, and Melanotan I has been measured in people by some routes but not others. [54], [2]

• Subcutaneous injection. In a small 1997 study, injected Melanotan I was fully absorbed compared with a dose given into a vein (its bioavailability was complete), and blood levels then halved every 0.8–1.7 hours. [54]
• The implant. The rod releases most of its drug within 48 hours and over 90% by day 5. In 12 healthy adults, blood levels peaked at about 36 hours and in 9 of them were no longer measurable after 96 hours; the rod itself dissolves within 50–60 days. [11], [2]
• Swallowed (oral). No Melanotan I was found in the blood after oral doses in the 1997 study, and no tan developed. [54], [5]
• On the skin (transdermal). In a 2007 study, 30 volunteers used a skin spray at 1–40 mg a day for 10 days. Nobody tanned, and no drug was found in the blood at the highest dose. [92]
• Intranasal spray. Never measured in people. Online absorption figures of 10–35% have no study behind them. [69], [70], [33]

Doserly

Drug levels and skin colour run on different clocks

Injection (blood level)

Blood levels fall within hours. The measured half-life was 0.8–1.7 hours in 3 men.

Implant (blood level)

Peak about 36 hours; most released within 48 hours and over 90% by day 5. At 96 hours it was no longer measurable in 9 of 12 people. The rod fully dissolved around day 50–60.

Skin pigment after one implant

Pigment rose by day 7, peaked around day 15 and was still above baseline around day 60. It fades unless another implant is given.

Blood levels and visible colour run on different clocks. Curves are schematic, without a numeric concentration axis.

How long does Melanotan I stay in the body?

Only a few hours after an injection. Its half-life (the time for blood levels to fall by half) was 0.8–1.7 hours after injection in three men, and the EU label gives about 30 minutes. From the implant, the US label gives an apparent half-life of about 15 hours, because the rod keeps releasing drug for several days. These are different measurements, not a contradiction. [54], [11], [2]

The effect lasts much longer than the drug. Pigment keeps building for days after a dose, which is why timing an injection 15–60 minutes before sun, as many people online do, has no tested basis either way. [49], [93], [94]

Does Melanotan I reach the brain?

Probably very little. In mice given it by injection, none was detected in the brain. The label says it binds mainly to the skin's pigment receptor, and the side effects in the Arizona studies were nausea, brief flushing and tiredness rather than the erections and appetite loss seen with Melanotan II. It has not been measured in the human brain. [95], [2], [26]

How should Melanotan I be stored, and how long does it last?

For the approved implant, the label is clear. For research powder and mixed vials, nobody knows, because no stability study exists for them.

• The approved implant. Keep it in a refrigerator at 2–8 °C, protected from light; its shelf life is four years. The European regulator's review found it stayed stable for up to 7 days in a freezer or at room temperature (25 °C), which covers short trips out of the fridge. [2], [11], [44]
• In solution. A 1996 laboratory study estimated a shelf life of about 40 days at room temperature for Melanotan I dissolved in buffer, extrapolated from tests at 70–87 °C. That is not a test of a mixed vial used over weeks. A 2026 study found afamelanotide breaks down under acid, alkali, oxidation, UV light and heat, forming 14 different breakdown products. [96], [97]
• Powder and mixed vials. Dosing pages advise a fridge at 2–8 °C after mixing (reconstitution) but give limits from one week to 30 days, sometimes on the same page. None of them cites a stability test for Melanotan I. [17], [15], [69]
• Vials used over weeks. When Australia's medicines regulator reviewed melanotan products, it noted that mixed multi-dose vials used over several weeks raise stability and infection concerns. [98]

No data were found on how long an opened nasal spray keeps its strength. This guide does not cover mixing or injection technique; the Academy note below covers practical handling.

What do we actually know about Melanotan I in people?

More than for most peptides sold online. Melanotan I has been tested in placebo-controlled trials in healthy volunteers, in people with EPP and in people with vitiligo, and its approved form has years of follow-up in EPP clinics. What has not been tested is the way it is used for tanning now: fixed microgram injections or nasal sprays, repeated for months, often with sunbeds. [4], [27], [99]

What did the tanning studies in volunteers find?

The same Arizona team ran most of these studies, and they used weight-based daily doses under medical supervision, not the fixed microgram schedules sold online. The company that now makes the implant reports that more than 100 people took part in the injection studies. [55], [101]

What did the EPP trials find?

The approval rests on placebo-controlled trials of the 16 mg implant every two months. In the US trial of about 94 adults, the median pain-free time in direct sunlight over six months was 64.1–69.4 hours with afamelanotide versus 40.5–40.8 hours with placebo, depending on the analysis. In the European trial of 74 adults, it was 6.0 versus 0.8 hours over nine months. [27], [2], [11]

There is an important caveat. After an inspection, the European regulator judged the main efficacy data from two earlier trials, including the European trial above, unreliable, and approved the implant on the strength of the US trial alone, under "exceptional circumstances" because EPP is so rare. A systematic review in 2023 rated the effect as moderate, with a high risk of bias in this field because sunlight, weather and darker skin all change how much light people can tolerate. [44], [6], [102]

Clinic follow-up has been consistent. In 115 patients treated with 1,023 implants over up to 8 years, quality-of-life scores rose from 31% to 74% of the maximum. In 117 Dutch patients, time outside rose by about 6 hours a week and reactions were less painful, although they were not fewer. In a German safety study of 200 patients, 91% continued treatment. [99], [103], [104]

What about vitiligo and other conditions?

In vitiligo, the evidence supports the implant only as an add-on to light therapy: 55 adults in a randomized trial, about 49% versus 33% repigmentation, with benefit in darker skin types but not the lightest. A company pilot of the implant alone, in three adults, found no repigmentation. [34], [47]

Other results come from very small or uncontrolled studies: solar urticaria (5 people), Hailey-Hailey disease (2), acne (3), variegate porphyria (6) and acute stroke (6, where one patient died of a recurrent stroke judged unrelated to the drug). A preliminary polymorphic light eruption trial of 36 people did not reach statistical significance. [49], [51], [105], [106], [107], [50]

What didn't these studies test?

• Fixed microgram injections of 100–1,000 mcg, the way it is used for tanning now.
• Nasal sprays; a skin spray was tried and failed.
• Use for longer than two years in trials; the EU label says long-term safety data are limited. Clinic follow-up extends to about 8–10 years in EPP.
• People under 18; an adolescent application in Europe was withdrawn in 2024 after a negative early view, although a 2025 study measured blood levels in 14 adolescents with EPP.
• Head-to-head comparison with Melanotan II. [92], [11], [108], [90]

How does Melanotan I work?

Melanotan I switches on MC1R, the receptor on pigment cells that controls which kind of melanin they make. In cell studies, the human MC1R responds to it at extremely low concentrations, about 1–2 picomolar. Switching MC1R on shifts production toward dark eumelanin, which absorbs UV and visible light. [109], [2], [11]

Why does it darken skin without sun, but tan more with it?

The label says afamelanotide raises eumelanin in the skin independently of sunlight or UV light, and in the first trial skin darkened under high-strength sunscreen. Sunlight is a separate, powerful tanning signal, and the 2004 studies found the two worked together: the combination tanned faster and longer than sun alone. That helps explain why people online mostly see visible colour on sun-exposed skin. [2], [4], [26]

How could melanin reduce sun damage?

Eumelanin works partly as a filter, absorbing UV and visible light before it reaches deeper cells, and partly as an antioxidant. The EU label lists these mechanisms, and the volunteer studies measured the result as fewer sunburn cells and less DNA damage after UV. In EPP, the proposed benefit is that more light is absorbed before it reaches blood vessels in the skin. [11], [35], [5]

Does it act only on pigment cells?

Not quite. Websites often call Melanotan I "selective" for MC1R. In cell studies it also switches on the MC3R, MC4R and MC5R receptors, which Melanotan II uses to cause erections and appetite changes; the label says it binds "predominantly" to MC1R. Its relatively low brain entry in mice, rather than true selectivity, may explain why it causes fewer of those effects. [110], [2], [95]

Why do moles and freckles darken?

Moles and freckles are places where pigment cells are already clustered or especially active, so a signal that tells every melanocyte to make more pigment makes them stand out. The label warns about this and recommends skin checks. In 15 people with EPP, mole changes seen under magnification had reversed by 12 months. [2], [77]

What else has been seen in animals and cells?

In animal studies using gerbils, mice and rats, the same molecule (usually called NDP-MSH in lab work) protected brain tissue after strokes and injuries and calmed inflammation, at doses given into the abdomen or a vein. Cell studies on melanoma lines were mixed: it slowed some and sped up the growth of one. None of these findings has been tested in people, apart from the six-person stroke study above. [53], [111], [112], [113]

What are the risks and unanswered questions?

Is Melanotan I safe?

The approved implant has a well-documented safety record in people with EPP, with mostly mild side effects; the tanning use is a different situation that has not been tested. In the approval trials, serious adverse events were about as common on the implant as on placebo (4% versus 3%), and none was judged drug-related. [114], [2]

Research-grade Melanotan I differs in several ways that the trials did not cover: products of unknown content and sterility, doses repeated daily or weekly for months, sunbed use, and often other peptides or medicines at the same time. [10], [30], [115]

What side effects did the trials find?

In three placebo-controlled trials of 244 adults with EPP, the most common reactions were:

Source: US label, reactions in more than 2% of people through month 6. [2]

The EU label, based on 425 patients, adds headache in about 20% and lists flushing, vomiting, abdominal pain, migraine and sleepiness as common. It lists increased skin sensitivity (hyperaesthesia), a burning feeling in the skin, palpitations and raised blood pressure as uncommon, and lip, gum and tongue discolouration and vitiligo as rare. Serious allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, have been reported after approval. The FDA's review of the approval trials found no clinically significant changes in pulse or blood pressure. [11], [2], [76]

What problems have been reported outside trials?

These are case reports: single patients whose doctors published what happened. They show what can happen, not how often. Most describe the product only as "melanotan", often with sunbeds; reports marked † name Melanotan I specifically.

In the approved-implant trials, the one early melanoma (melanoma in situ) occurred in a placebo patient, and one treated patient who already had many unusual moles had a mole with abnormal cells, where the regulator could not tell whether the drug contributed. [114]

Does Melanotan I cause skin cancer?

Nobody knows for certain, but there is no evidence that it does in people using the approved implant. The US regulator's 2019 review found no skin cancer among trial participants treated with afamelanotide, or in the European monitoring it reviewed, which included up to 10 years of use; the one melanoma in situ in the trials occurred in a placebo participant. The review also noted that people with EPP are not at higher baseline risk. [114]

The tanning use is less clear. A 2017 review counted four published reports of melanoma arising during or soon after melanotan use, mostly with unspecified products and sunbeds, and concluded that conclusive evidence linking them is lacking. Two published melanoma reports name Melanotan I: a short 2009 letter whose authors did not claim a link, and a 2026 case in a man who used sunbeds, anabolic hormones and Melanotan II before Melanotan I. Neither shows that Melanotan I caused the melanoma. A 2025 review noted that switching on MC1R does not prevent melanoma, particularly in people with risk factors. [123], [119], [120], [124]

That is why the EU label asks for a full skin check every six months and special caution in anyone with a personal or family history of melanoma or other skin cancer. Darkened moles can also make skin checks harder to read. [11], [125]

Could product quality change the risk?

Yes. We found no published laboratory analysis of products sold as Melanotan I, so their content, purity and sterility are unknown. The published analysis of black-market tanning products tested Melanotan II and a related drug, bremelanotide, and people online repeatedly suspect "Melanotan I" vials of being Melanotan II, for example after unexpected erections or strong nausea. Australia's regulator warns that melanotan products may contain toxic, poor-quality or counterfeit ingredients. [126], [72], [127], [10]

Is Melanotan I legal? Is it FDA-approved?

Checked September 24, 2026. Rules differ by country and change quickly. A "research use only" label does not make a product legal to sell or safe to use.

United States. Afamelanotide is FDA-approved as the Scenesse implant (October 2019, label updated 2024) for adults with EPP; it is inserted by a trained professional. Nothing else is approved. The FDA's import alert on unapproved drugs lists "Melanotan (I and II)" imported as research products and sold online. Neither Melanotan I nor afamelanotide appears on the FDA's May 2026 list of bulk substances nominated for pharmacy compounding under section 503A; that list is one of several conditions for compounding and does not by itself decide a product's legal status. [7], [128], [129]

Canada. Scenesse was approved as a prescription implant in July 2026. Health Canada's April 2026 advisory lists "Melanotan I and II" among seized, unauthorized injectable peptides. [9], [130]

Australia. Scenesse has been registered since 18 November 2020. Afamelanotide, cross-referenced as Melanotan I, is a prescription-only (Schedule 4) medicine, and the medicines regulator says melanotan is not approved as a tanning agent and that supplying it without a prescription is illegal. [8], [131], [10]

United Kingdom. Scenesse holds a UK marketing authorisation, but in 2023 the national body that advises the NHS on new medicines did not recommend it for routine NHS use in England. A 2025 government answer says injectable products containing Melanotan 1 or 2 count as medicines because they resemble Scenesse, while nasal sprays sold without medical claims do not. [132], [133], [134]

European Union. Scenesse has been authorised since December 2014 under exceptional circumstances, prescribed by specialists at porphyria centres. Denmark and Norway have warned about or acted against unauthorised melanotan products. [6], [135], [136]

Is Melanotan I banned in sport? Does it show up on a drug test?

It is not named on the World Anti-Doping Agency's 2026 list or on the 2027 list published in September 2026. The list's S0 category covers substances with no current approval for human use; afamelanotide is approved, so that rule does not obviously apply, but no anti-doping body has ruled on it, and an unlabelled research product could contain something else. Athletes should check with their anti-doping organisation before use. No published test has measured how long it can be detected. [137], [138]

Who should be especially cautious?

• People with a personal or family history of melanoma or other skin cancer, or many unusual moles. The EU label asks for special caution, and mole changes are the most common concern. [11]
• People with liver or kidney problems. The EU label rules out use with liver or kidney impairment; its effect there has not been studied. [11]
• Pregnancy and breastfeeding. The EU label says not to use it, and to use contraception during treatment and for three months after. The US label reports no human data. [11], [2]
• Under 18. Safety and effectiveness are not established. This guide is written for adults. [2], [108]
• Over 70, or with heart, gut, hormone, nerve or blood conditions. These groups were not studied; the EU label advises against use over 70 and asks for vital signs and blood tests after each implant if such patients are treated. [11]
• People with a past severe allergic reaction to afamelanotide. [2]
• Drivers. The EU label notes sleepiness, tiredness, dizziness and nausea, especially within 72 hours of an implant. [11]
• People taking other medicines, and drug-tested athletes. No interaction studies exist (see below), and no anti-doping body has ruled on it (see above). [11], [137]

Has Melanotan I been tested alongside other medicines?

No interaction studies have been done. The EU label expects it to be broken down quickly into small fragments, but advises caution because of missing data, and notes that blood thinners such as warfarin, aspirin and anti-inflammatory painkillers may increase bruising or bleeding where the implant is placed. People online often combine it with weight-loss injections, Melanotan II or other peptides, and none of those combinations has been studied. Bring a complete list of everything you take to a pharmacist or doctor. [11], [2], [115]

What should be monitored while using Melanotan I?

For the approved implant, the labels set out what to check. For research products there is no official plan; what follows is what the labels and studies measured, useful for preparing questions for a clinician. It is not a personal testing plan.

What do the labels ask for?

• Full-body skin checks. Twice a year in the United States and every six months in Europe, to monitor existing and new moles, because the drug can darken them. The EU label adds that doubtful changes should go to a dermatologist (a skin specialist). [2], [11]
• After each implant. Watching the patient for 30 minutes for an allergic reaction, and checking the implant site. [2], [11]
• Vital signs and blood tests. Blood pressure, pulse, blood counts and blood chemistry after each implant in people over 70 or with the untested conditions listed above. [11]

What did the studies measure?

Studies measured skin colour with light-reflectance devices, sunburn cells and DNA damage after UV, pain-free time in sunlight, liver tests and protoporphyrin levels in EPP, antibodies against the drug and vitamin D. In one study of 26 people with EPP treated for up to six years, no new antibodies against the drug were detected, and in another, vitamin D did not rise, so the implant does not replace vitamin D treatment in EPP. [35], [42], [139], [140]

Which signals matter, and why?

Some signals need prompt medical care rather than tracking: signs of a serious allergic reaction such as swelling of the face or throat or trouble breathing, and a mole that changes quickly in size, shape or colour. [2], [11]

Most of these come from the approved implant's labels, not from monitoring studies of research products, so they show what regulators have flagged rather than what a person will experience.

What do people in public communities report?

Public forums describe Melanotan I as the milder, slower choice next to Melanotan II: fewer side effects, a more natural-looking tan, and a real chance of little or no result. The most useful posts say how much was taken, how much sun was involved and what happened weeks later. These are selected discussions, not a survey of everyone who has tried it. [142], [143], [144]

What do the positive reports look like?

The typical success story is a clearly deeper tan after 2–6 weeks with regular sun or short sunbed sessions. One person used 200 mcg a day for two weeks, then 250 mcg twice a week, with 1–2 hours of strong midday sun once a week and no sunbeds, and was happy with the colour at three months. Another, who had never tanned, became very dark on a holiday after 250 mcg a day for two weeks, then 500 mcg every other day. Several describe a golden, natural-looking shade rather than an orange one. [145], [146], [147], [93]

How long does it take, and how long does the colour last?

Timing varies widely. People who tan easily or get a lot of sun describe colour within days; fair-skinned people or those with little sun more often describe nothing for 2–6 weeks and then a gradual change. The colour usually fades over weeks to about two months after stopping, and a few people say they stayed slightly darker for longer. [36], [37], [73], [148]

Does everyone tan?

No. Non-response is a recurring theme. One person took 1 mg a night for 25 nights with a few sunbed sessions and saw no colour change, only one new freckle. Another reached 500 mcg a day with plenty of sun over about six weeks and got flushing and darker freckles but almost no tan. Very pale and red-haired people report both outcomes: some never tan, while others tan slowly for the first time in their lives. A trial found people with red-hair gene variants responded more, not less. [75], [149], [150], [151], [100]

When it does not work, people usually raise the dose, add sunbeds or switch to Melanotan II, and a few suspect the product. [152], [153], [154]

Does it stop sunburn?

This is the benefit people claim most often, and some go without sunscreen because of it. Accounts describe hours in strong sun without burning, or with barely any peeling. Others describe still burning despite regular sunbeds, sunburn after an hour in the sun, or burns on skin that missed their sunscreen. Regulators are clear that the tan is not sunscreen. [41], [152], [154], [40], [155], [10]

What about freckles, moles and spots?

This is the most common worry. Accounts describe freckles and moles darkening within days, new freckles on the face, nipples or knuckles darkening before the rest of the skin, and white "reverse freckles" becoming visible as the tan develops. Follow-ups differ: some spots faded about four weeks after stopping, while other people say freckles stayed or needed laser treatment. [156], [157], [158], [78], [79]

Medical follow-up is uncommon but telling. Two people describe a mole or freckle that darkened during use and was removed as a very early melanoma; one of them believed Melanotan I made it noticeable rather than causing it. Others describe darkened moles removed and found harmless, or a dermatologist finding nothing wrong. None of these can show cause. [159], [160], [161], [52]

Community education groups are split on this too. Some teaching says Melanotan I does not raise melanoma risk and that new moles are old ones made visible; other material in the same groups advises baseline skin checks, mole photos and avoiding it with a history of melanoma. The labels side with regular skin checks. [11]

What about nausea, flushing and other effects?

Nausea is the most common complaint, but it is usually brief: a wave lasting a minute to a few minutes shortly after an injection, which for some people eases after the first week. A smaller group describe hours of queasiness, or vomiting after 500 mcg, and a few say Melanotan I made them sicker than Melanotan II. Facial flushing for up to an hour or two is common, especially with the first doses. People often dose at bedtime, take an antihistamine or switch to nasal sprays to ease these effects; none of these tactics has been tested. [155], [162], [163], [164], [152], [165], [166], [167]

Less common accounts include a heart rate that jumped from 58 to 119 beats a minute for a few minutes after a first 250 mcg dose, self-measured blood pressure rises, a runny nose, dizziness and tiredness. [141], [168], [169], [52], [170]

A few isolated reports are more serious. One person described leg swelling and then painful, sunburn-like skin across the whole body after a single dose; accounts in community education groups describe similar whole-body skin pain lasting about three months after 1 mg twice a day, and severe abdominal pain. The EU label lists increased skin sensitivity and a burning feeling in the skin as uncommon effects, but single reports with unknown products cannot show cause. [37], [11]

What about libido and appetite?

Many of the public accounts reviewed report no change in libido or appetite, which is one reason people choose Melanotan I. A few describe a brief libido boost or less hunger at 1 mg or more, and erections on a new batch are often taken as a sign the vial held Melanotan II. [171], [74], [72]

How can you judge a Melanotan I story?

Useful questions: Was it the approved implant or a research product, and was the product ever tested? How much was taken, in micrograms, not "units" from an unknown mix? How much sun or sunbed use was involved? Were Melanotan II, weight-loss injections or other peptides used at the same time? Did anyone examine the moles? Did the person post again weeks later? A tan proves little about safety, and mole changes take months to judge. [115], [172], [173]

How does Melanotan I compare with Melanotan II and PT-141?

These three melanocortin peptides are sold side by side online and often confused. For Melanotan I the table shows the approved implant; the tanning schedules above are a separate, untested use.

Doserly

Melanotan I and its relatives

Alpha-MSH (natural hormone)

13 amino acids in a straight chain. Natural hormone.

Melanotan I / afamelanotide

13 amino acids in a straight chain, with Nle at position 4 and D-Phe at position 7. Approved as Scenesse implant for adults with EPP: EU 2014, US 2019.

Melanotan II

7 amino acids, 6 in a ring, with an amide end. Not approved anywhere.

Bremelanotide (PT-141)

Same ring as Melanotan II, with an acid end. Approved in the US (Vyleesi, 2019) for acquired, generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder in premenopausal women.

Similar names do not mean the same molecule or approval.

The real differences are in structure and evidence. Melanotan I is the original, straight-chain molecule and acts mainly on skin; Melanotan II is a later, shorter ring-shaped version that caused erections and nausea in its small studies. No study has compared the two in people, so the table cannot say which tans better or is safer. [101], [176], [175]

Common questions about Melanotan I

How long does Melanotan I take to work?

Usually days to a few weeks. In trials, skin darkened during a 10-day course and peaked 1–3 weeks after the last injection; after one implant, extra melanin appeared within a week and peaked at about two weeks. Public accounts range from a few days with lots of sun to six weeks or more with little. [4], [49], [37] See what people report.

Is Melanotan I the same as afamelanotide or Scenesse?

The molecule is the same; the product is not. Melanotan I is the research name for afamelanotide, and Scenesse is the approved 16 mg implant made under medical-grade controls for adults with EPP. Powders and sprays sold as Melanotan I are not Scenesse and have not been tested. [1], [2], [10] See what it is.

Do you need sun for Melanotan I to work?

Not to raise pigment, but visible tanning mostly follows sun exposure. Volunteers darkened while wearing strong sunscreen, and the label says it works independently of UV, yet public accounts mostly describe colour only on sun-exposed skin. Sunbeds add their own skin-cancer risk. [4], [2], [62] See where protocols differ.

Is Melanotan I safer than Melanotan II?

It has much more safety evidence, but no study has compared them. The approved implant's trials found mostly mild side effects, while Melanotan II has only three small studies and an FDA warning about serious case reports. Research products labelled Melanotan I are untested and may not contain what the label says. [114], [175], [178], [30] See how the three compare and the Melanotan II guide.

Can you take Melanotan I with Melanotan II or PT-141?

The combination has never been studied. People online alternate or combine Melanotan I with Melanotan II, which makes it impossible to tell which caused a tan, a new mole or nausea. PT-141 is a separate approved drug for a specific low-sexual-desire disorder in premenopausal women, with its own label and cautions. [180], [172], [181], [179] See the Melanotan II and PT-141 guides.

Will the freckles and moles go away if I stop?

Often, but not always. Magnified skin checks in EPP patients showed mole changes reversing by 12 months, and many public accounts describe darker spots fading within about a month of stopping, while some describe freckles that stayed. Any new or changing mole is worth showing to a doctor. [77], [78], [79] See what happens when you stop.

Is it legal to buy Melanotan I?

It is approved only as the Scenesse prescription implant for EPP, and rules for everything else differ by country. Research products sold as Melanotan I are unapproved in the United States, flagged by the FDA's import alert, seized in Canada, prescription-only in Australia and treated as medicines when injectable in the United Kingdom. [128], [130], [131], [134] See the dated legal-status summary.

Is a higher dose or a longer course more likely to work?

Not in the only study that compared doses: 0.26 and 0.4 mg/kg a day gave no more tan than 0.16 mg/kg, and caused more stomach upset and tiredness. Some people online who raised the dose to 1–2 mg a day describe little extra colour and more nausea. A longer fixed-microgram course has not been tested. [28], [75], [169], [164]

Glossary

Plain explanations of the route, dosing, skin and research terms used in this guide. Underlined terms in the text link here.

Adverse event

A harmful or unwanted medical event reported after someone used a treatment. A report alone does not prove the treatment caused it.

Alpha-MSH

Alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, a natural hormone of 13 amino acids that tells pigment cells to make melanin. Melanotan I is a sturdier copy of it.

Amino acid

A small chemical building block. Chains of amino acids make up peptides and proteins.

Anaphylaxis

A severe, whole-body allergic reaction that can cause swelling of the face or throat, trouble breathing and a drop in blood pressure. It needs emergency care.

Animal study

Research in animals such as rats or mice. It shows what a substance does in a living body, but results in people can differ.

Bioavailability

How much of a dose reaches the bloodstream in a usable form. It depends heavily on the route.

Case report

A published description of what happened to one patient or a few. It can reveal a possible problem but cannot show how often it happens or prove the cause.

Cell study (in vitro)

Research on cells grown in a dish. It gives early clues about biology, but it is far from proof of benefit in people.

Compounding

When a pharmacy prepares a customized medicine from individual ingredients. In the US, federal lists control which bulk ingredients pharmacies may use.

Controlled trial

A study that compares people who receive a treatment with people who do not, often receiving a placebo instead. Randomly assigning people to each group makes the comparison fairer.

Course and cycle

A course is the period of repeated use, such as six weeks. A cycle is a course plus a planned break before any further use.

Daily total

All the amounts given in one day, added together. For example, 250 mcg twice daily is a 500 mcg daily total.

Dose (amount each time)

The amount given on one occasion. A protocol lists both the dose and how often it is given.

Erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP)

A rare inherited condition in which protoporphyrin builds up in the blood and skin, so that visible light causes burning pain within minutes. The Scenesse implant is approved for adults with EPP.

Eumelanin

The dark brown-black form of melanin, which absorbs UV and visible light. The other main form, pheomelanin, is reddish-yellow.

Exceptional circumstances

A type of European approval used when a disease is so rare that complete information cannot be collected. The company must keep providing data, and the regulator reviews it every year.

Freeze-dried (lyophilized)

Dried by freezing and removing the water, leaving a powder. Research Melanotan I is sold this way and mixed with liquid before injection.

Half-life

The time it takes for the measured level of a substance in the blood to fall by half. It is not the same as how long an effect lasts.

Implant

A small solid rod placed subcutaneously that releases a drug. The Scenesse implant is about 1.7 cm long, holds 16 mg of afamelanotide and dissolves on its own.

Intranasal

Sprayed into the nose to be absorbed through its lining.

Investigational

Still being studied and not approved by a regulator, such as the FDA, for a particular use.

Loading phase

A first stretch of more frequent doses, here usually daily, meant to build up an effect quickly before switching to less frequent doses.

Maintenance phase

Less frequent doses after loading, meant to keep an effect going. For Melanotan I, usually one to three times a week.

mcg and mg

Micrograms and milligrams. 1 mg equals 1,000 mcg. Online Melanotan I amounts are usually written in mcg; the implant is 16 mg.

Melanocortin receptors (MC1R–MC5R)

A family of five sensors that respond to alpha-MSH and related hormones. MC1R on pigment cells controls skin colour; MC3R and MC4R in the brain are linked to appetite and sexual function.

Melanocyte

A pigment cell at the base of the outer skin layer that makes melanin and passes it to nearby skin cells.

Melanoma

A cancer that starts in pigment cells. It can arise in a mole or in normal-looking skin. Melanoma in situ is the earliest stage, still confined to the outer skin layer.

Mole (naevus)

A cluster of pigment cells in the skin. Most are harmless; a new, changing or unusual mole should be checked by a doctor.

Narrowband UVB therapy

A medical light treatment that uses a narrow band of ultraviolet B light, given in a clinic or with a prescribed home unit, often for vitiligo.

Peptide

A short chain of amino acids. Melanotan I is a straight chain of 13.

Pharmacokinetics

How the body absorbs, moves, breaks down and removes a substance.

Placebo

A dummy treatment with no active ingredient, used as a comparison in studies. In the implant trials it was an implant without the drug.

Preclinical research

Studies done before research in people: cell studies and animal studies.

Protoporphyrin

A natural substance made on the way to haem, the iron-carrying part of blood. It reacts to light, so when it builds up, as in EPP, light exposure damages the skin and causes pain.

Reconstitution

Mixing a freeze-dried powder with a liquid so it can be measured and injected. The amount of peptide in the vial and the volume of liquid added together set how much each syringe unit holds.

Research use only

A label on products sold for laboratory research. It does not mean a product is approved, tested for human use or legal to sell as a medicine.

Schedule 4 (Australia)

Australia's prescription-only medicine category. Afamelanotide, cross-referenced as Melanotan I, is listed there.

Shelf life

How long a product keeps enough of its strength to be used under stated storage conditions. In laboratory stability studies it usually means the time until 10% has broken down.

Subcutaneous (SC)

Into the fatty layer just under the skin. The Scenesse implant and research Melanotan I injections both use this route.

Sunburn cells

Skin cells damaged beyond repair by UV light, counted under a microscope after a measured light dose. Fewer sunburn cells means less UV damage.

Syringe units

Markings on an insulin syringe that measure volume. On a U-100 syringe, 100 units equal 1 mL. The amount of drug per unit depends on the vial's concentration.

Thymine dimers

A type of DNA damage caused by UV light, in which two neighbouring DNA building blocks stick together. Researchers measure them as a marker of sun damage.

Titration

Adjusting a dose in steps, usually starting lower and increasing if needed.

Transdermal

Absorbed through the skin, for example from a spray, cream or patch.

Withdrawal and rebound

Withdrawal effects are symptoms caused by stopping a substance. A rebound is a problem returning worse than before after stopping. Neither has been described for Melanotan I.

WADA

The World Anti-Doping Agency, which publishes the list of substances banned in sport.

Explore more of the research

Go deeper into the animal and laboratory experiments behind the mechanism claims.

Across this guide, the citations include 53 original scientific papers: 11 cell and animal papers, 39 human studies and case reports, and 3 laboratory analyses of stability and product content. The optional library below summarizes selected animal and cell papers by question. Paper counts are not counts of independent research teams: many early studies come from the same University of Arizona group, and most implant studies were funded by the company that makes it.

In the route details, intraperitoneal means into the abdominal cavity; intracerebroventricular, into fluid spaces of the brain; intravenous, into a vein.

How this guide was researched

This guide is built from a thorough review of the sources cited throughout it: published scientific studies, the approved medicine's labels and regulatory reviews, registered clinical-trial records, case reports and published protocol descriptions. We also reviewed public online forums and community education groups where people describe their own experiences with Melanotan I.

The guide cites 184 sources, including 53 original scientific papers. Each type of source answers a different question. Studies show what researchers measured. Labels and regulators show what is approved and what must be monitored. Case reports show what can happen to individual patients. Protocol descriptions show how Melanotan I is typically used for tanning. Personal accounts show what individual people experienced. Every numbered citation links to its entry below, labeled by source type.

How this guide was made

Research and drafting were AI-assisted. Cited sources were checked against their originals, and each source entry notes when only an abstract or an indexed record was available. The guide was reviewed and edited by Doserly before publication. It has not had an independent clinical review, and Doserly does not currently have medical reviewers. Doserly makes a medication and health-tracking app and runs Doserly Academy, both of which are promoted in this guide. Read our editorial policy for how guides are researched, updated and corrected.

This guide is for educational purposes. It summarizes what the reviewed sources report so the research is easier to understand; it is not medical advice. For a deeper dive, or to check any point for yourself, go straight to the cited sources.

Explore the sources