Melanotan-1
Also known as: Afamelanotide, Scenesse
The one melanocortin peptide that became a real licensed medicine — which makes it the clearest illustration of what the unlicensed ones are missing.
Regulatory status: Licensed in the EU and US as afamelanotide (Scenesse) for erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare inherited disorder causing severe pain on light exposure.
What it is
Melanotan-1, licensed as afamelanotide, is a synthetic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that increases eumelanin production in the skin. Unlike Melanotan-2, it went through full clinical development and became a licensed medicine, administered as an implant by a specialist.
Composition
A synthetic analogue of alpha-MSH. The licensed product is a controlled-release implant; what is sold online for tanning is a different, unregulated thing.
Proposed mechanism
It activates the melanocortin-1 receptor on pigment cells, increasing eumelanin production — the darker, more photoprotective form of melanin — without requiring ultraviolet exposure to trigger it.
Claimed benefits
Protection from light-induced pain in erythropoietic protoporphyria; and, in its unlicensed online form, cosmetic tanning.
What the evidence shows
Gold· human data. For its licensed use the evidence is genuine: randomised trials in erythropoietic protoporphyria showed patients gained meaningful pain-free time in sunlight, which supported approval in both the EU and US.
The instructive part is the contrast with its cousin. Melanotan-1 and Melanotan-2 share a broad mechanism. One was taken through trials to a defined medical use with specialist supervision and mole monitoring; the other is sold unregulated for cosmetic use with no trials at all. The difference in what is known about them is not a difference in chemistry.
Legal & regulatory status
Licensed in the EU and US as afamelanotide (Scenesse) for erythropoietic protoporphyria, prescribed and implanted by a specialist. It is not licensed for cosmetic tanning anywhere, and products sold online for that purpose are not the licensed medicine.
Known risks & unknowns
In its licensed use, monitored side effects include nausea, headache and skin darkening, with regular skin surveillance built into treatment. Melanocortin agonists can darken existing moles, which is precisely why supervised use includes mole checks — a safeguard that is entirely absent when the compound is bought online for a tan.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
- What is Melanotan-1?
- A synthetic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that increases eumelanin production in the skin. Unlike Melanotan-2, it went through full clinical development and is a licensed medicine — sold as afamelanotide, and administered as an implant by a specialist.
- What is it actually licensed for?
- Erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare inherited condition in which sunlight causes severe burning pain within minutes. Increasing melanin gives these patients meaningful protected time outdoors, and randomised trials supported the licence on that basis.
- Is it a tanning drug?
- It is not licensed for cosmetic tanning anywhere, and the research-chemical version sold online for that purpose is not the licensed product. The contrast with Melanotan-2 is the useful lesson here: the same broad mechanism, one taken through trials to a defined medical use with supervision, the other sold unregulated for cosmetic use with no trials at all.
- Is it safer than Melanotan-2?
- Melanotan-1 is more selective, and it lacks the strong effects on sexual arousal and nausea that characterise Melanotan-2. That said, the important difference is not the molecule but the context: a licensed implant given by a specialist who checks your moles is a different proposition from an unregulated vial.
Related compounds
- Melanotan II (Unproven)
An evidence-tiered explainer on Melanotan II: an unlicensed melanocortin agonist sold for tanning, with documented safety concerns and no approval, contrasted with the licensed afamelanotide.
- PT-141 (Bremelanotide) (Gold)
An evidence-tiered explainer on PT-141 (bremelanotide, Vyleesi): a melanocortin agonist with FDA approval for a specific sexual-health condition, a useful contrast to the unapproved peptides.
Written and reviewed by Mathew Beale, MSc Biotechnology, University of Reading.
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