Melanotan-1 vs Melanotan-2

Melanotan-1

An α-MSH analogue approved in the EU and US as Scenesse (afamelanotide) for erythropoietic protoporphyria. The off-label tanning use is what most people actually want it for.

Best for

Best when tanning-pathway selectivity and a cleaner side-effect profile matter; the afamelanotide form is approved (Scenesse) for EPP.

Melanotan-2

The unregulated tanning peptide. Cheaper and more effective on libido than MT-1, but the side effect profile and mole-change risk make this the riskier of the two.

Best for

Stronger tan plus a libido effect, but at the cost of nausea, mole darkening, priapism, and a worse overall profile.

Melanotan-1

EMA approval 2014, FDA approval 2019 for erythropoietic protoporphyria as Scenesse. Phase 3 trials (CUV029, CUV030, CUV039) showed extended pain-free sunlight tolerance in EPP patients. The off-label cosmetic use is not what was approved and is not what was studied long-term.

Melanotan-2

No completed Phase 3 trials. Melanotan-2 was studied in the 1990s as an erectile dysfunction candidate before being abandoned in favour of bremelanotide (PT-141), which has cleaner pharmacology. All current use is grey-market and unregulated. Case reports in dermatology journals document melanoma in MT-2 users; the relationship is concerning but not formally proven.