SkinAfamelanotideNDP-MSH

Melanotan 1

Linear α-MSH analog · the one that became an approved drug (Scenesse) · MC1R agonist

Melanotan 1 is the melanocortin peptide with a split identity. Chemically it is afamelanotide — a 13-building-block linear copy of α-MSH (the natural hormone that tells skin to make pigment), engineered with two tweaks so the body cannot break it down quickly. The single most important fact about it is that, unlike its better-known cousin Melanotan 2, it grew up into a real, regulator-approved medicine: as the implant Scenesse (made by Clinuvel), it is approved by the EMA (2014) and the FDA (2019) to protect adults who have erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) — a rare disorder in which sunlight causes severe pain — by building up protective pigment in the skin without needing the sun exposure these patients cannot tolerate. It works by switching on the melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) on pigment cells, which raises eumelanin (the brown-black pigment that absorbs light and mops up free radicals). The approved product is a tiny controlled-release implant a clinician inserts under the skin about every two months — not a self-injected tanning shot. That distinction matters, because the grey-market "Melanotan 1" sold as injectable tanning powder is the same molecule but unregulated, not quality-controlled, and not approved for cosmetic tanning. Because it darkens existing and new moles, responsible use includes dermatologic skin-and-mole monitoring.

The short version

Melanotan 1 is a lab-made copy of α-MSH (alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone) — the natural signal your body uses to tell pigment cells (melanocytes) to make more melanin, the pigment that darkens skin and helps shield it from light. Chemists changed two of its 13 building blocks so it resists being broken down, which makes it far longer-lasting and more potent than the natural hormone. Its formal drug name is afamelanotide.

The headline fact is that Melanotan 1 is the one melanocortin tanning peptide that became a genuine, approved prescription drug. Under the brand name Scenesse (from the company Clinuvel), it is approved by European regulators (since 2014) and by the US FDA (since 2019) — but for a specific medical reason, not for cosmetic tanning. It is approved for adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare inherited disease in which even brief sunlight triggers severe burning pain. By building up protective pigment in advance, it lets these patients tolerate more time in light. This is the sharp contrast with Melanotan 2, which is not approved anywhere.

How it is actually given matters. The approved product is a small dissolvable implant, about the size of a grain of rice, that a healthcare professional inserts just under the skin roughly every two months — it releases the drug slowly and is not something you inject yourself. The "Melanotan 1" sold online as injectable tanning powder is the same molecule, but it is unregulated research material: not quality-controlled, not approved for tanning, and not the tested delivery form. And because the drug darkens both existing moles and any new ones, anyone using it should have their skin and moles checked by a dermatologist.

Molecular identity

Specs

Molecular weight: 1646.8 g/mol
Molecular formula: C78H111N21O19
Monoisotopic mass: 1645.8365 Da
CAS / UNII: 75921-69-6 · QW68W3J66U

Sequence: Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle-Glu-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2 (13 AA)PubChem CID 16197727
Structure / class: Linear [Nle4,D-Phe7]-α-MSH analog (afamelanotide / NDP-MSH)PubChem CID 16197727
Molecular target: Melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) agonistFDA Scenesse label
Half-life: ~15 h apparent from the controlled-release implant (bare peptide ~30 min)FDA Scenesse label (PK)Half-life curve →
Brand / approval: Scenesse (Clinuvel) — FDA-approved 8 Oct 2019 (NDA 210797); EMA 2014; 16 mg SC implant for EPPFDA NDA 210797
Regulatory status: Approved (Scenesse, EPP only); grey-market injectable 'tanning' form is unapproved research materialFDA NDA 210797
Anti-doping status: Not specifically named on the WADA 2026 Prohibited List (verify current status)WADA 2026

Plain English

Mechanism

Melanotan 1 is an agonist (an "on" switch) at the melanocortin-1 receptor, MC1R — a receptor on the surface of melanocytes, the skin's pigment-making cells. Switching MC1R on drives the cell to make more eumelanin, the brown-to-black form of melanin. Eumelanin is the photoprotective pigment: it absorbs and scatters ultraviolet and visible light and quenches the reactive oxygen species (cell-damaging molecules) that light generates. Crucially, this pigment increase happens independent of UV exposure — the drug, not the sun, drives the tanning. That is exactly why it helps EPP patients, who cannot use sunlight to build a protective tan.

The two engineered changes — norleucine at position 4 and a D-form phenylalanine at position 7 — are what separate this molecule from the natural hormone. Native α-MSH is destroyed within minutes; these substitutions block the enzymes that would chop it up, so afamelanotide is both far more stable and substantially more potent at MC1R. The Scenesse implant then turns that potency into a slow, steady release over weeks.

A note on family resemblance and difference: Melanotan 1 leans toward MC1R (the pigment receptor), whereas its cousin Melanotan 2 is more promiscuous across the melanocortin receptor family — including MC4R in the brain, which is what gives Melanotan 2 its libido and erection effects. That receptor difference is why the two molecules are filed under different uses: Melanotan 1's story is pigment and photoprotection; Melanotan 2's is pigment plus sexual function. (The precise selectivity numbers between receptor subtypes are not well pinned down, so this is a qualitative, not a quantitative, contrast.)

Sources:FDA NDA 210797 PMID 19656325

Why people reach for it

Potential benefits

Melanotan 1 is the melanocortin people reach for when a deep tan with less sun is the goal — and the one that, unusually, became an approved medicine. Here's what draws them to it.

Build a tan with far less sun exposure — Its headline appeal. Melanotan 1 switches on MC1R, the pigment-cell receptor, driving eumelanin production independent of UV — so the tan develops with much less time in the sun than it would naturally require.
A deeper, longer-lasting color — Because it raises the skin's own protective brown-black pigment at the receptor level, the resulting tan tends to be deeper and to persist for weeks after stopping, rather than fading as fast as an incidental sun tan.
The melanocortin that cleared regulatory trials — As afamelanotide (Scenesse), it is the one tanning-class peptide that became an FDA- and EMA-approved drug — for preventing light-triggered pain in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) — which is the sharp contrast people weigh against the unapproved Melanotan 2.
A more pigment-focused profile than MT-2 — It leans toward MC1R (pigment) rather than the brain's MC4R, so people reach for it when they want the tanning effect without the libido and nausea load that Melanotan 2's broader receptor activity brings.
UV-independent protective pigment (the EPP rationale) — The same UV-independent eumelanin that delivers the cosmetic tan is what lets EPP patients tolerate more light — the medical use the approval rests on. Note: a tan is modest photoprotection at best, and the drug darkens moles, so dermatologic skin-and-mole monitoring is part of responsible use.

Sources:FDA NDA 210797 PMID 26132941 PMID 19656325 PMID 25494545

What people reach for Melanotan 1 for, drawn from what the research reports (the approved evidence is for EPP, not cosmetic tanning) and how it's used — not proven cosmetic outcomes or medical claims; the grey-market tanning injection is unapproved.

Implied timing

Best time to dose

Implied best time

Evening

Most people dose Melanotan 1 in the evening, so any nausea or lethargy passes during sleep rather than waking hours.

Nausea is the most frequent dose-dependent side effect, especially in the 500–1,000 mcg loading range — taking the dose in the evening means it tends to pass while asleep. This is the main practical driver of the timing.
The tanning effect itself is not clock-driven: pigmentation builds from MC1R activation and the UV exposure that compounds it, not from the time of day the injection is given. Morning is equally valid if nausea is not an issue.
The approved drug is a slow-release implant acting over weeks (apparent half-life ~15 h from that form; the bare peptide clears in ~30 min), so for the injectable form a consistent daily evening dose is about tolerability and routine, not pharmacokinetic precision.
On a maintenance schedule (every-other-day), evening remains the convenient anchor — the side-effect logic doesn't change, and consistency keeps the routine simple.

No study establishes an ideal time of day for the injectable Melanotan 1 — this is reasoned from its side-effect profile and how it's used. As a rule of thumb most peptide dosing lands in the midday-to-evening window; for Melanotan 1 the lean is evening, chosen so nausea passes during sleep.

Sources:FDA NDA 210797

How to run it

Dosing & protocol

Community SubQ use of Melanotan 1 — the injectable tanning convention — follows a loading-then-maintenance pattern. The approved medical form is a 16 mg controlled-release implant placed by a clinician (Scenesse, for EPP); that bears zero resemblance to the reconstituted SubQ protocol below, and the calculator on this page does not map to it. What follows is how people actually run the injectable research form — stated as community convention, not medical advice.

Community convention, not validated: grey-market SubQ Melanotan 1 is the same molecule as the approved implant but a different product, route, and pharmacokinetic profile. There is no controlled trial of the tanning injection protocol. Every dose and schedule here is usage pattern, not evidence — and dermatologic mole monitoring is part of responsible use from day one.

Tiered dose ranges

Most SubQ protocols run a short loading phase to saturate MC1R signaling, then drop to a lower maintenance dose.

Loading phase:: 500–1,000 mcg once daily — typically run for 1–2 weeks to build initial pigment. The calculator defaults to 1,000 mcg (1 mg); some users start lower at 500 mcg to assess tolerance before climbing.
Maintenance:: 250–500 mcg once daily or every other day — once target pigmentation is reached, the dose drops significantly. EOD (every-other-day) maintenance is common and reduces cumulative exposure.
Sensitive starter:: 250–500 mcg once daily throughout — users prone to nausea (a common dose-dependent side effect) often skip a formal loading phase entirely and stay at the lower end.

Subcutaneous administration

Melanotan 1 is injected into subcutaneous fat — the same technique as any other research peptide.

Injection site:: The abdomen (two inches clear of the navel), the love-handle area, or the outer thigh. Rotate sites between doses so one spot is not used repeatedly — prevents local irritation and lipohypertrophy.
Measuring the dose:: Drawn on a U-100 insulin syringe from the reconstituted vial. At the standard 10 mg / 2 mL mix (5,000 mcg per mL): 500 mcg = 10 IU · 1,000 mcg = 20 IU. The on-page calculator does this live for any vial size.
Time of day:: Evening dosing is common — nausea (the most frequent side effect) tends to pass during sleep at the 500–1,000 mcg range. Morning is equally valid if nausea is not an issue.
Food window:: SubQ peptides do not compete with food for absorption. Timing relative to meals is a personal preference, not a pharmacokinetic requirement.

Cycle & washout

Pigmentation persists for weeks after stopping, so cycles are typically short — run until target color is reached, then stop and let maintenance UV preserve it.

Loading cycle:: 1–2 weeks of daily dosing at the higher range, stopping once satisfactory pigmentation develops. Continued daily dosing past that point adds little and increases cumulative exposure.
Maintenance phase:: EOD or twice-weekly injections at 250–500 mcg to sustain pigmentation through high-sun seasons, or stop entirely and let natural UV maintain the color.
Washout:: A 4–8 week break between cycles is typical. Dermatologic mole check is the key washout task — any mole that changed, darkened, or appeared new during the cycle should be evaluated before the next run.

Reconstitution at a glance

The on-page calculator does this live; quick reference for a 10 mg vial:

Mixing:: 10 mg vial + 2 mL bacteriostatic water = 5,000 mcg per mL. On a 100-unit (1 mL) insulin syringe: 250 mcg = 5 IU · 500 mcg = 10 IU · 750 mcg = 15 IU · 1,000 mcg = 20 IU.
Why 2 mL:: The standard 10 mg / 2 mL ratio puts common tanning doses (500–1,000 mcg) in a practical 10–20 IU syringe range — easy to read, minimal measurement error.

Sources:PMID 26132941 PMID 25494545 PMID 19656325

Substrate the signal needs

Nutritional cofactor precision

Melanotan 1 tells pigment cells to make more melanin — but the peptide is only the signal. The three cofactor groups below address the substrate supply, the biological amplifier MC1R already works with, and the monitoring cost the pigment response creates.

Reasoned from the textbook biochemistry of the melanin synthesis pathway and the pharmacology of MC1R — not a Melanotan 1 cofactor study. Supplement doses are common convention ranges; UV framing is biology, not a tanning recommendation.

Supply the substrate — L-tyrosine + copper

The body builds eumelanin from L-tyrosine, and the enzyme that does it (tyrosinase) is copper-dependent. This is plain textbook biochemistry, not a Melanotan-1 finding.

L-tyrosine:: The amino acid that melanocytes convert into DOPA and then into eumelanin. 500–1,000 mg/day (typically before the main meal) covers the substrate demand without requiring megadoses — most dietary protein already provides phenylalanine, which the body converts to tyrosine, so this is a modest top-up, not a loading dose. Deficiency is what limits production, not excess.
Copper:: Tyrosinase, the rate-limiting enzyme in the eumelanin pathway, is a copper metalloenzyme — it cannot function without copper. 1–2 mg/day copper bisglycinate paired with any zinc supplement prevents copper depletion (high zinc displaces copper). For most people copper status is already normal; this is a deficiency guard, not a boost.
Timing:: Both can be taken with breakfast or the largest meal of the day. No specific food-window requirement relative to the injection.

Amplify — UV exposure as biology, not benefit

MC1R — the receptor Melanotan 1 activates — is the same node the skin's UV-tanning response normally runs through. Understanding this is useful; treating it as a tanning recommendation is not.

The biology:: UV light hitting the skin triggers keratinocytes to release α-MSH, which activates MC1R on melanocytes, which drives eumelanin synthesis. Melanotan 1 activates that same MC1R without requiring UV — that is the entire EPP use case. In practice, moderate UV exposure and Melanotan 1 work through the same pathway and compound the melanin signal.
The honest frame:: A tan — whether natural or peptide-driven — is not sun protection in the clinical sense. Eumelanin does absorb UV, but the protection factor from tanning alone is very modest (roughly SPF 2–4 at most). UV still carries skin-cancer risk regardless of pigmentation level. Nothing here implies that using Melanotan 1 allows greater UV exposure without consequence.

Mitigate — antioxidant skin support + mole monitoring

Driving higher melanin turnover and using alongside UV both generate oxidative load in skin tissue. Monitoring is the non-negotiable mitigation.

Vitamin C + E (antioxidant pair):: Vitamin C 500–1,000 mg/day and vitamin E 200–400 IU/day support the skin's antioxidant defense, which matters when melanin synthesis is running hotter and UV exposure is in the picture. Take with a meal containing fat for better E absorption.
Mole monitoring:: The most important mitigating action is also the simplest: photograph and map moles at the start of every cycle, and have a dermatologist examine any mole that darkened, changed shape, or appeared new during the run. Afamelanotide darkens existing moles and can bring out new pigmented lesions — this is expected pharmacology, not a rare side effect, and it is what makes routine dermatologic surveillance non-optional.

Combinations + timing

Stacking notes + timing windows

Melanotan 1 drives MC1R-mediated melanin production — one specific lever. The honest stacking picture for this peptide is partly comparison (what does the cyclic cousin offer and cost?) and partly complementary function (what does the MC4R-selective sibling add without redundancy?). Neither pairing is a recommendation to combine them; they are here so the trade-offs are visible.

Community convention and head-to-head comparison — not combinations studied for safety or efficacy in humans. Melanotan 1 itself is unvalidated for the SubQ tanning route; any stack is doubly so. The mole-monitoring caution applies more, not less, to any melanocortin combination.

MT-1 vs Melanotan 2 — comparison, not a recommended stack

The two molecules share MC1R but diverge sharply on receptor breadth, safety record, and regulatory status. Understanding the difference is the point; combining them is not.

Why people compare them:: Both drive melanin via MC1R. Melanotan 2 is more potent at MC1R and also hits MC4R (the brain receptor that drives libido and erection effects). People weigh them when choosing a pigmentation agent: MT-1 for a more pigment-focused profile, MT-2 when they also want the sexual-function effects.
The safety trade-off:: Melanotan 2 carries a distinctly worse safety record than MT-1. The case literature documents eruptive and rapidly darkening moles, melanoma reports in users, and serious overdose reactions including sustained priapism. MT-1 became an approved drug by surviving controlled human trials; MT-2 has never cleared that bar and is approved nowhere.
On combining them:: Running both stacks Melanotan 2's harm profile on top of MT-1's — two MC1R agonists hitting the same receptor simultaneously, with no additive benefit that couldn't be achieved by dose-adjusting one. It is not a synergistic combination; it is redundant plus the added risk of the riskier molecule. The comparison is here so the choice is visible, not as an endorsement.

MT-1 + PT-141 — pigmentation alongside selective sexual function

PT-141 (bremelanotide) is the melanocortin that went the opposite route — approved only for sexual function (HSDD), with minimal pigment effect. If both goals are in scope, these two address them without overlap.

Why it works:: PT-141 (bremelanotide) is a selective MC4R agonist — it activates the brain receptor that mediates libido and arousal without significant MC1R activity, so it produces little to no pigmentation. MT-1 leans the other way: MC1R for melanin, minimal MC4R activity. Together they cover both functions through distinct receptors — the definition of a complementary pairing.
The protocol:: MT-1 on its own SubQ tanning schedule (loading 500–1,000 mcg daily, then maintenance 250–500 mcg EOD). PT-141 on its own on-demand schedule — typically 1–2 mg SubQ, 1–4 hours before anticipated activity, as needed rather than daily. The two injections are independent; no interaction between the regimens is documented.
Outcome:: The combination users reach for when they want the pigmentation effect of MT-1 without the libido side effects (which MT-2 causes), plus a dedicated, well-characterized sexual-function agent that has cleared FDA approval. PT-141 is the only melanocortin with regulatory approval specifically for sexual function (HSDD in women, 2019).

Reconstitution math

Reconstitution calculator

Calculated for a 1 mL U-100 insulin syringe (100 units/mL).

Peptide per vial

BAC water added

Desired dose

Units per dose

Draw to this mark on a U-100 syringe

Volume per dose: 0.2 mL
Doses per vial: 10
Concentration: 5 mg/mL

One vial lasts

Daily: 10 days
Every other day: 20 days
5×/week: 14 days

Research use only. Not for human consumption. Outputs are reference values based on research literature — verify all measurements independently.

From the studies

Side effects from research

The expected pharmacologic effect is generalized skin darkening. The most clinically important consideration is that afamelanotide darkens existing moles and can bring out new pigmented spots — which is why full-body skin and mole monitoring by a dermatologist is part of responsible use, and why anyone with a personal or family history of skin cancer should be especially cautious. The most commonly reported adverse effects in the approved setting include nausea, headache, fatigue, dizziness or drowsiness, and implant-site reactions; the grey-market injectable adds injection-site pain and infection risk from an unsterile, uncontrolled product.

On the melanoma question, the honest framing is a monitoring concern, not a proven cause. There is no established evidence that afamelanotide causes melanoma. But because it changes the appearance of moles and is often used alongside UV exposure, it can complicate the surveillance of pigmented lesions — so dermatologic monitoring exists precisely to catch any concerning change early. Claims that it directly causes skin cancer are not supported; claims that it makes mole-watching irrelevant are also wrong.

Regarding sport: afamelanotide / melanotan is not specifically named on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, and melanocortin tanning peptides are not one of the listed S2 hormone sub-families. That said, this should not be read as a clean "allowed" — anti-doping rules have catch-all provisions and change over time, so athletes should verify current status with WADA or their federation rather than rely on this page.

Sources:FDA NDA 210797

As reported in literature

Research dosing ranges

These are the doses studied in the published literature, shown separately so the trial evidence is never mistaken for a cosmetic-tanning recommendation. Melanotan 1's strong evidence is entirely for one medical use — preventing phototoxicity in erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) — and it is all human. There is no controlled trial of the molecule for cosmetic tanning, so that use has no row.

Dose	Route	Model	Outcome	Sources:
Subcutaneous α-MSH analog (afamelanotide)	SC	Human — EPP patients (early controlled study)	Reduced phototoxic reactions and increased light tolerance in erythropoietic protoporphyria — the proof-of-concept for the EPP indication	PMID 19656325
16 mg controlled-release implant	SC implant	Human — EPP, randomized controlled trials (pivotal)	Increased pain-free sun-exposure time vs placebo; the RCT evidence underpinning FDA/EMA approval	PMID 26132941
16 mg implant, repeated cycles	SC implant	Human — 115 EPP patients, long-term observational	Maintained tolerability and effectiveness over extended real-world follow-up	PMID 25494545

Quick answers

Frequently asked

Is Melanotan 1 the same as Melanotan 2?

No — they are different molecules. Melanotan 1 (afamelanotide) is a larger, linear 13-building-block copy of α-MSH and leans toward the pigment receptor MC1R. Melanotan 2 is a smaller, cyclic peptide that also hits MC4R in the brain, which is what gives it libido and erection effects. They have different chemical formulas, weights and structures, and only Melanotan 1 became an approved drug.

Is Melanotan 1 FDA-approved?

Yes — but only as the prescription implant Scenesse (afamelanotide), and only to prevent light-triggered pain in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). It was FDA-approved in 2019 and EMA-approved in 2014. It is not approved for cosmetic tanning, and the injectable powder sold online for tanning is unregulated.

How is the approved version actually given?

As a small controlled-release implant, about the size of a grain of rice, that a trained clinician inserts just under the skin roughly every two months. It releases the drug slowly over weeks. It is not self-injected, and it is not reconstituted from a powder.

Does it cause skin cancer?

There is no established evidence that afamelanotide causes melanoma. The real issue is that it darkens existing moles and can bring out new ones, which makes watching for suspicious changes harder — so dermatologic skin-and-mole monitoring is a standard part of using it responsibly. Treat it as a monitoring concern, not a proven cause.

Why does it tan you without the sun?

It switches on MC1R, the pigment-cell receptor that the sun's UV normally activates, so the skin makes more protective eumelanin even with no light exposure. That UV-independent pigment is exactly what helps EPP patients, who cannot tolerate the sunlight a natural tan would require.

Is it banned in sport?

Afamelanotide/melanotan is not specifically named on the 2026 WADA Prohibited List, and it isn't one of the listed hormone sub-families. But that's not a guarantee of being allowed — anti-doping lists have catch-all clauses and change over time, so athletes should check current WADA or federation guidance directly.

Primary sources

References

PubChem CID 16197727PubChem CID 16197727 (Afamelanotide / Melanotan 1)
FDA NDA 210797FDA Scenesse (afamelanotide) prescribing information — MC1R agonist, 16 mg SC implant, EPP indication (approved 2019)
PMID 26132941Langendonk et al., N Engl J Med 2015 — afamelanotide for erythropoietic protoporphyria (pivotal RCTs)
PMID 19656325Harms et al., Photochem Photobiol 2009 — α-MSH analog mitigates EPP photosensitivity (proof of concept)
PMID 25494545Biolcati et al., Br J Dermatol 2015 — long-term observational study of afamelanotide in 115 EPP patients
WADA 2026WADA 2026 Prohibited List — afamelanotide/melanotan not specifically named (verify current status)

Research use only · Not medical advice · Updated 2026-06-01