Melanotan II
ALSO KNOWN AS · MT-2
A non-selective melanocortin agonist sold illegally as a tanning and libido agent. Regulators in multiple countries have issued warnings; adverse reports include new and changing melanocytic lesions.
Why regulators warn against it
Because MT-2 activates MC1R broadly, it darkens existing naevi and has been linked in case reports to melanoma diagnoses and to rhabdomyolysis and posterior reversible encephalopathy in isolated events.
The selective, regulated alternative is afamelanotide (Scenesse), approved for erythropoietic protoporphyria.
PRIMARY SOURCES
- 01Melanotan safety case reports— British Journal of Dermatology
Educational reference only. Trial figures are protocol-condition means, not individual predictions. Investigational compounds are not approved medicines and have no legitimate consumer supply route.