Melanotan 1 Reference

Plain English

What it is

Melanotan 1 (its drug name is afamelanotide) is a lab-made copy of a natural hormone, alpha-MSH, that signals the skin to make more of its own brown pigment (melanin). It is the exact molecule inside an FDA-approved prescription implant called Scenesse. It is also sold separately online as an injectable tanning peptide, which is a different, unregulated product.

What people use it for

The approved implant helps adults with a rare inherited condition (erythropoietic protoporphyria, or EPP), where sunlight triggers painful skin reactions, spend more pain-free time in light. Online, people use the injectable version to build a tan with less sun, and sometimes for extra sun tolerance.

What the science shows

As the Scenesse implant it has label-verified human evidence, meaning regulators reviewed the trials and approved it for that single EPP use. The injectable tanning vials sold online have not been through that kind of testing, and it is not approved or proven for tanning or cosmetic use.

The catch

A vial labeled Melanotan 1 sold online is not the FDA-approved implant. Unlike the approved implant, which was tested and reviewed, these unregulated online versions have not been through that testing. It can darken existing moles and trigger new ones, and dermatology reviews have reported a small number of melanomas in people using unregulated melanotan, so any new or changing mole should be looked at by a professional. It is not approved for tanning.

Reference summary

As the Scenesse implant (afamelanotide), this molecule has label-verified human evidence in EPP. pepSmart surfaces label-reference content plus the documented risks of the unregulated injectable tanning form. Do not generalize the Scenesse label to off-label tanning or cosmetic use.

Regulatory and posture

Categories

Skin/Hair, Hormonal

Aliases

Afamelanotide, Scenesse, Melanotan I, MT-1, MT-I, NDP-MSH, [Nle4, D-Phe7]-α-MSH, CUV1647

Evidence posture

human - Human trials support only the Scenesse implant for EPP; the injectable tanning form sold online is unregulated and not FDA-approved.

Regulatory status

Melanotan 1 (drug name afamelanotide) is the molecule inside the FDA-approved prescription implant Scenesse, labeled only for increasing pain-free light exposure in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). It is not approved for tanning, cosmetic pigmentation, or sexual-health use. The injectable Melanotan 1 sold online for tanning is not the approved Scenesse implant and is not FDA-approved; unlike the tested, approved implant, these unregulated products carry open questions about their preparation and dosage.

Content review status

label verified

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