These two compounds are routinely discussed as versions of the same thing, and they are not. Melanotan I — afamelanotide — is an authorised medicine in the European Union, supplied as an implant through specialist clinics for a rare inherited condition. Melanotan II is an unlicensed research peptide that acts on a wider set of melanocortin receptors. The receptor difference explains why their effects differ, and the regulatory difference explains why only one of them can be prescribed.
| Attribute | Melanotan II | Melanotan I (afamelanotide) |
|---|---|---|
| Also known as | MT-2, melanotan 2 | Afamelanotide, marketed as SCENESSE |
| Receptor activity | Non-selective across the melanocortin family, including MC1R, MC3R and MC4R | MC1R-selective |
| Why that matters | MC4R activity is associated with effects well beyond pigmentation | Activity is confined to the pigmentation pathway |
| Regulatory status in the EU | No marketing authorisation — unlicensed | Authorised by the EMA for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) |
| Authorised indication | None | Prevention of phototoxicity in adults with EPP |
| How the authorised product is given | Not applicable | Subcutaneous implant, placed by a trained healthcare professional |
| Regulator warnings | Regulators including the UK MHRA have warned against unlicensed products marketed for tanning | Supplied through specialist EPP centres under its authorisation |
| In the Body Pharm catalogue | Yes — 20 mg pre-loaded pen | No |
Both compounds are synthetic analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, the natural signal for melanin production. Afamelanotide is selective for MC1R, the receptor on the pigmentation pathway. Melanotan II is not selective: it also activates MC3R and MC4R. MC4R sits in pathways governing appetite and sexual function, which is why melanotan II is associated in the literature with effects that have nothing to do with skin. Selectivity is the whole difference between the two molecules, and it is not a minor one.
Afamelanotide holds an EU marketing authorisation for erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare inherited condition in which sunlight exposure causes severe pain. It is supplied as an implant placed by a healthcare professional at a specialist centre, not as something a person administers themselves. Melanotan II has no authorisation anywhere in the EU. It is not an over-the-counter version of afamelanotide, and no legitimate route exists to obtain afamelanotide outside its authorised indication.
The shared "melanotan" naming implies a version one and a version two of a single product, in the way software versions work. The reality is two different molecules with different receptor profiles, different delivery formats and completely different legal status, developed along separate paths. Search interest in "melanotan 2 vs 1" is largely people trying to establish whether the cheaper, more available one is the same substance. It is not.
Body Pharm supplies melanotan II as a pre-loaded 20 mg research pen, third-party tested per batch with the certificate of analysis reachable from the QR code on the pen. Afamelanotide is an authorised medicine and is not, and could not be, part of this catalogue. Nothing on this page is a recommendation to use either compound.
No. They are different molecules. Afamelanotide (melanotan 1) is MC1R-selective; melanotan II also activates MC3R and MC4R, which is why its reported effects extend beyond pigmentation. The numbering suggests a version sequence that does not exist.
Afamelanotide holds an EU marketing authorisation for erythropoietic protoporphyria and is supplied through specialist centres. Melanotan II has no authorisation and regulators including the UK MHRA have warned against unlicensed products marketed for tanning.
Because it is not selective. Alongside MC1R, which drives pigmentation, it activates MC4R — a receptor involved in appetite regulation. Afamelanotide does not have that activity.
Only through its authorised route: prescribed for erythropoietic protoporphyria and implanted by a healthcare professional at a specialist centre. There is no consumer supply route, and it is not in the Body Pharm catalogue.
This page is educational and intended for research and informational use only. It is not medical advice, a treatment recommendation, or dosing guidance, and it makes no promises about outcomes. Where a compound has held a marketing authorisation, approved medicines are supplied only through licensed pharmacies with a prescription. Body Pharm EU supplies research-grade materials for laboratory use, not approved medicines, and nothing here should be read as a substitute for advice from a qualified healthcare professional.
The shared name implies a sequence — version one, then an improved version two. That is not what happened. These are two different molecules with different receptor profiles, different delivery formats and completely different legal status, developed along separate paths.
EMA: Scenesse (afamelanotide) EPAR; Systemic toxicity and rhabdomyolysis after melanotan II injection. PMID 23121206; Melanoma associated with the use of melanotan-II. PMID 24355990; Change in moles linked to use of unlicensed “sun tan jab”. PMID 19174439; Melanotan II as a possible cause of renal infarction. PMC7148395
Both are synthetic analogues of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Afamelanotide is MC1R-selective — its activity is confined to the pigmentation pathway.
Melanotan II is not selective. Alongside MC1R it activates MC3R and MC4R, which sit in pathways governing appetite and sexual function. That is the mechanistic explanation for effects that have nothing to do with skin, and it is why melanotan II cannot honestly be described as a tanning agent with side effects. It is a multi-receptor melanocortin agonist, one of whose effects is pigmentation.
Afamelanotide, marketed as SCENESSE, has been EU-authorised since 22 December 2014 for the prevention of phototoxicity in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria, a rare inherited condition in which sunlight causes severe pain. It received orphan designation on 8 May 2008.
Three features of that authorisation are routinely misrepresented:
Melanotan II holds no authorisation anywhere in the EU, its sale is illegal in the United Kingdom, and the MHRA has warned specifically against unlicensed products marketed for tanning.
There is no published human dose-ranging trial. No dose, schedule or safety margin has been established, and figures circulating online are not traceable to controlled research.
What the peer-reviewed record does contain: systemic toxicity with rhabdomyolysis and renal dysfunction following self-administration, renal infarction, changes in existing melanocytic naevi, and melanoma diagnosed in users.
Case reports cannot establish causation — a point that cuts both ways. They cannot prove melanotan II caused these outcomes, and they equally cannot be used to argue it is safe. What they establish is that serious events have been observed and documented in users, which is more than can be said for any published evidence of benefit.
Melanocortin signalling stimulates melanocytes, the cell type melanoma arises from. There is no controlled evidence that melanotan II raises melanoma risk, and none that it does not. In a compound with that mechanism, the absence of long-term safety data is itself the finding.
There is also no consumer route to afamelanotide. It is prescribed for erythropoietic protoporphyria and implanted at specialist centres. It is not, and could not be, an alternative product on this site.
Related: cosmetic peptides, what is Melanotan II?.
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