Melanotan II
Pigmentation / melanocortin
Status & caution. Not FDA-approved. Despite early predictions that it would stay restricted, FDA removed it from Category 2 in April 2026 (the nomination was withdrawn) and scheduled it for the SECOND PCAC meeting (before the end of February 2027) — NOT the July session. It still carries serious safety concerns, and removal from Category 2 is not authorisation to use it. Among the higher-risk peptides here: documented links to changing/darkening moles, nausea, blood-pressure effects, and priapism. Self-tanning use has driven emergency presentations — its PCAC path is far from certain.
At a glance
Indications & what it's studied for
Marketed for skin tanning and, secondarily, libido/erectile effects via melanocortin receptors. No legitimate medical approval.
Contraindications & cautions
History of melanoma or atypical moles; uncontrolled hypertension; cardiovascular disease; pregnancy.
Commonly reported dosing
Reported, not recommended. The following describes what appears in research literature and community use. It is not a protocol, and unapproved peptides have no validated human dosing.
Community 'tanning' protocols vary widely; there is no safe validated dose, and contamination/purity issues are common.
Routes of administration
Subcutaneous injection; sometimes nasal.
Don't combine with
PT-141, Melanotan I, and other melanocortin agonists (additive effects, priapism risk); BP-active medications.
Reported to stack with
No legitimate stacking guidance.
Note: "stacking" combines multiple agents and multiplies unknowns; popularity of a combination is not evidence of its safety.
What the research actually shows
Pharmacology is understood, but the safety signals (pigmented-lesion changes, cardiovascular and priapism reports) are why it has been the most safety-flagged of the group.
Before acting on anything here, see Safety & the grey market and how to read a COA.