Peptides/Sex and libido
Melanotan II
Also sold as MT-2, The tanning injection, Barbie drug
The tanning injection sold online. It works, which is the problem: it also drives moles to darken and has no approved use anywhere.
At a glance
What people use it for
- Tanning without much sun exposure
- Increased sexual arousal, which is a side effect rather than the pitch
- Appetite suppression, reported by users
How it is taken
Sold as a powder for injection under the skin, and as unregulated nasal sprays.
Evidence
No human trials
Good to know
- Existing moles darken and new ones appear, which complicates skin cancer screening
- Nausea, flushing and spontaneous erections, all common
- Case reports link it to melanoma, though causation is not established
- Illegal to sell for human use in the UK, EU, US and Australia
Melanotan II is a synthetic version of the hormone that tells skin to produce pigment. Unlike most compounds in this section, it does visibly work, and quickly. That is exactly why it deserves a careful read rather than a dismissal.
What people take it for
Tanning, mostly, with far less sun exposure than usual. Increased arousal and reduced appetite are commonly reported alongside.
The arousal effect is not a coincidence. Bremelanotide, the approved desire medicine, is a close relative developed from the same research, with the tanning activity engineered out.
What the evidence shows
The pigmentation effect is real and well described. There is no approved product, no completed efficacy trial for cosmetic tanning, and no established safe dose.
The concern is what happens to moles. Melanotan II stimulates the same cells involved in melanoma. Dermatology literature includes case reports of existing moles darkening, new ones appearing, and melanoma diagnosed in users. Those reports cannot prove cause, but they describe a plausible mechanism and they are the reason regulators have acted.
Health authorities in the UK, Australia, the US and across the EU have issued warnings and made sale for human use illegal.
What to know before
A tan from this is not protective in the way people assume, and it changes the appearance of the thing dermatologists look at to catch skin cancer early. That is the trade worth understanding before deciding.
Nasal spray versions are common online and are no safer for being needle-free.
Last reviewed .