PlainPill
PeptideSkin & hair

Melanotan

People mainly take Melanotan for skin & hair. Based on 15 first-hand reports and 2 meta-analyses & systematic reviews in the medical literature. Ranked #806 of 2,750 overall.

Compare with…Alternatives for skin & hair
25
User score
Mostly positive
27% positive13% mixed0% negative60% unclear

Of reports that state an outcome, 68% are positive.

Clinical research
BModerate research base
2
meta-analyses
4
RCTs
250
papers
High-risk compound. Peptides are not approved as supplements, carry serious and sometimes irreversible risks, are banned in competitive sport and may be restricted where you live. Nothing here is a recommendation to use it.

What Melanotan does, according to users

Of the people who reported each effect, the share who said it got better.

Skin & hair83% of 6
1 more with fewer than 3 reports
Appetite100% of 1
betterno changeworse

What the research says

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses from PubMed, with their published conclusions.

BModerate research base

At least one meta-analysis, or 5+ randomized controlled trials. The grade measures how much human research exists — read the conclusions below for what it found.

Health Soc Care Community · 2017 · Meta-analysis / systematic review
The injecting use of image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPED) in the general population: a systematic review

Conclusion: This paper provides community-based clinical practice and health promotion services with a detailed examination and analysis of the injecting use of IPED, highlighting the patterns of this public health issue. It serves to disseminate updated publication information to health and social policy makers and those in health service practice who are involved in harm reduction intervention.

PubMed 26806443 ↗

Dosage people report

As stated by users — not a recommendation. Follow the label or your doctor.

low doseas reported
250 mcgduring summer months; days in sun; 2-3 weeks until tan, then discontinue or maintain
0.1 mg1-2x/week
1000 mcgdaily

Reported side effects

How often each side effect came up across all reports.

new moles ×1melanoma ×1dysplastic nevi ×1nausea ×1dizziness ×1erections ×1anal itching ×1fungal skin ×1

What users say

Verbatim quotes, shortened only — each links to the original discussion.

“many gingers that use melanotan to darken their skin and hair, and have used it with success”
Source discussion ↗
“Low dose of melanotan creates free radical scavengers. As well as benefiting sleep.”
Source discussion ↗
“With Melanotan I achieve a nice golden tan, and it only takes a couple of weeks of injecting with intermittent sun exposure to achieve a tan.”
Source discussion ↗
“I know melanotan tans the skin very well”
Source discussion ↗
“After I inject (at night before bed) I’ve been getting an insanely itchy asshole. Like so itchy that I can’t sleep”
Source discussion ↗
Top discussions (5)

Melanotan compared

vs Melanotan 2vs Melanotan Iivs Melanotan 1

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User data from public discussions; research from PubMed. Information only, not medical advice — talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. Data updated October 3, 2026. How we rate