Peptides
Melanotan I (Afamelanotide)
Also called MT-I · MT1 · Afamelanotide · Melanotan 1
Melanotan I attracts people who want a darker tan. Its medicine form, afamelanotide, is used for a rare light-sensitivity disorder; the approved implant is very different from tanning powders sold online. A tan does not replace sun protection.
Dosage & duration
US SCENESSE label for adults with EPP; not a cosmetic tanning schedule.
SCENESSE implant
Product label- Dose
- 16 mg implant
- How often
- Every 2 months
- How long
- Repeat treatment under specialist care
Placed by a trained healthcare professional; do not convert to a powder-injection schedule.
Sources: 1
The practical difference
Tanning products and SCENESSE are different
Afamelanotide’s medical use does not make an online tanning powder equivalent.
| Compare | Online tanning products | SCENESSE implant |
|---|---|---|
| Reason for interest | Darker skin pigment | More pain-free light exposure in adults with EPP |
| Product | Powders sold for cosmetic use | 16 mg implant placed by a trained professional |
| What approval covers | Not approved as tanning agents in Australia | A specific light-sensitivity disorder |
Tanning versus treatment
Afamelanotide increases skin pigment. SCENESSE uses that effect to increase pain-free light exposure in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP). That is a specific medical use, not an approval for cosmetic tanning.
Why the formulation matters
The 16 mg implant releases medicine differently from repeated injections of a reconstituted powder. Dividing its total by days does not produce an equivalent injection dose.
What to watch for
The label includes skin darkening, changes in existing moles and serious allergic reactions. It calls for skin examinations and continued protection from light. Online tanning products add uncertainty about what is actually in the vial.
Dose references and context Existing reported protocols; not personal dosing instructions
This older catalog material includes research and community reports. It has not all been source-checked in this page update and should not be treated as a dosing recommendation.
EPP — US SCENESSE label context
16 mg implant · Subcutaneous implantation by a trained professional · Every 2 months
Specific regulated product; ongoing light protection and skin monitoring. Not a research-powder regimen.
Model details: Melanotan I (Afamelanotide) · relative timing
Compare timing and buildup for this compound. The values are not blood concentrations or a measure of strength.
Shows a relative timing scenario; absolute blood concentrations are not calibrated.
Timing assumptions and sources
The illustrative 1.2 h value is inside the human SC solution terminal range of 0.8–1.7 h; reported absorption half-lives were 0.07–0.79 h (Ugwu 1997).
One 1 mg input peaks at 1 relative unit after a single dose. Other amounts scale proportionally; overlapping doses add when accumulation is on. Different compounds use separate relative scales.
- Timing half-life used
- 1.2 hours
- Absorption half-life assumed
- 0.3 hours
- Reference amount for the relative scale
- 1 mg
- Absorption half-life is assumed to be one quarter of the slower timescale (0.3 h); it is not a measured absorption parameter.
- A single 1-unit input has a peak of 1 relative unit; scaling and repeated-dose addition are mathematical assumptions. This normalization is independent of the example dose.
- Historical 50% availability contradicts the small human study; it should not be presented as measured.
- No absolute concentration is inferred from a small-sample, weight-normalized clearance range.
- Pigmentation lasting weeks is not the drug plasma half-life.
- Ugwu et al. 1997 melanotan-I PK
Three male volunteers received SC 0.08–0.21 mg/kg and IV/oral 0.16 mg/kg. Plasma RIA indicated complete SC availability versus IV, terminal half-lives of 0.8–1.7 h and clearance 0.12–0.19 L/kg/h.
- SCENESSE label
The 16 mg implant formulation is different from an aqueous SC solution.
melanotan-i-relative-timing-2026-10 · version 1
Common questions
Is Melanotan I the same as Melanotan II?
No. They are different peptides; dose, side-effect and product claims are not interchangeable.
Does an afamelanotide tan prevent sun damage?
Do not treat it as sunscreen. The SCENESSE label specifically retains light-protection measures.
Sources Labels, studies and notes behind this guide
Catalog evidence: Human clinical trials. This describes the type of evidence, not a clinical review of every claim.
Summary and fact source checks: 2026-10-07. This records source checking, not medical review of the whole page.
Notes on the quick facts
- Reason people search
- Separate cosmetic goals from treatment of EPP.
- Approved form
- Online powder is not the SCENESSE formulation.
- 1. DailyMed: current SCENESSE label
Current May 2026 label: 16 mg SC implant every two months for adults with EPP; trained professional administration, continued light protection, skin monitoring and hypersensitivity precautions.
- 2. Dorr et al.: human Melanotan-I pigmentation and PK
Original human route-comparison study; SC beta-phase half-lives 0.8–1.7 h. Early pigmentation research exists; this is not SCENESSE implant PK.
- 3. TGA: warning about melanotan tanning products
Regulator states melanotan is not approved as a tanning agent in Australia and warns of unapproved online products. Jurisdiction-specific statement; not a claim about every worldwide approval.
- 4. Ugwu et al. 1997 melanotan-I PK
Three male volunteers received SC 0.08–0.21 mg/kg and IV/oral 0.16 mg/kg. Plasma RIA indicated complete SC availability versus IV, terminal half-lives of 0.8–1.7 h and clearance 0.12–0.19 L/kg/h.
- 5. SCENESSE label
The 16 mg implant formulation is different from an aqueous SC solution.
Related compounds and examples
Related compounds
Melanotan II
Melanotan II is sought for a darker tan and sometimes for sexual effects. Small human studies observed both, alongside nausea and unwanted erections. The practical trade-off is that visible pigmentation does not establish a safe tanning routine or protection from UV damage.
PT-141 (Bremelanotide)
PT-141 is researched for low sexual desire. As VYLEESI, bremelanotide is an on-demand treatment for acquired, generalized low desire causing distress in premenopausal women. It is not a general performance enhancer, and nausea is a common trade-off.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin gets attention as a “bonding hormone” and possible libido aid. A nasal-spray trial in women did not outperform placebo for sexual dysfunction. Its established medical use is different: supervised labor and postpartum care.