Melanotan 1 is a synthetic 13-amino-acid analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, built with norleucine at position 4 and D-phenylalanine at position 7 so.
Amounts reported for Melanotan 1 are listed under Reported protocols, each with its source and study kind. No amount ladder is inferred from them. This is educational source context, not a protocol or recommendation.
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Human study rows are described per source under Reported protocols; they belong to their trial populations and are not a general amount.
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What published studies and recent community write-ups report about amounts, timing and course length. 3 clinical and 4 community-reported rows, each linked to its source. These are descriptions of what others report, not instructions, and nothing here is medical advice.
| Context | Dose | Frequency | Route | Course | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinical3 rows | |||||
| FDA label (Scenesse): erythropoietic protoporphyriaAdults with a history of phototoxic reactions from erythropoietic protoporphyria | 16 mg per implant | One implant every 2 months | Subcutaneous implant placed above the anterior supra-iliac crest by a trained healthcare professional | Open-ended, one implant per 2-month intervalNone described | DailyMed, National Library of Medicine (Clinuvel label)2026 |
| The label requires a trained professional, a specific implantation cannula and 30 minutes of observation afterward, and recommends a full skin examination twice a year because the drug darkens existing moles and freckles. The implant is a bioresorbable rod about 1.7 cm long; there is no self-injected or nasal form in the approved product. | |||||
| Two randomized placebo-controlled implant trials (EU and US)74 patients in the European Union and 94 in the United States with erythropoietic protoporphyria | 16 mg per implant | Every 60 days | Subcutaneous implant | 5 implants over 270 days (EU) or 3 implants over 180 days (US)Not applicable | New England Journal of Medicine (PubMed)2015 |
| Median pain-free time in direct sunlight was 69.4 hours with afamelanotide versus 40.8 hours with placebo in the US trial, and 6.0 versus 0.8 hours in the EU trial, with fewer phototoxic reactions and better quality of life. Adverse events were mostly mild. The trials were funded by Clinuvel, the manufacturer. | |||||
| Early tanning study in healthy volunteers7 volunteers (6 men, 1 woman) with Fitzpatrick skin types III or IV | 0.16 mg/kg per day | Once daily, Monday to Friday, for 10 injections | Subcutaneous | 2 weeks, with follow-up at day 21Not applicable | Photochemistry and Photobiology (PubMed)2000 |
| Tanning was measured at 3 of 8 body sites (face, neck, forearm) and forearm eumelanin rose 98% one week after the course ended, with no change in pheomelanin. A 1991 randomized trial in 28 men used 10 injections over 12 days and saw skin darkening peak 1-3 weeks after the last dose. These weight-based doses are far larger than the amounts grey-market guides describe and were given under medical supervision with sunscreen use. | |||||
| Community-reported4 rows | |||||
| Community loading and maintenance chart | About 250 mcg during loading (often started near 125 mcg); 250-500 mcg for maintenance | Once daily for 10-14 days, then every 3-4 days | Subcutaneous from a reconstituted vial | 10-14 day loading phase followed by open-ended maintenanceNot specified | Community resource2026 |
| This guide models a 10 mg vial in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL, so 250 mcg is 5 units on a U-100 syringe) and is explicit that the approved product is a clinician-placed implant, not a daily injection. It describes the injectable tanning protocol as unapproved by the FDA, EMA, MHRA and TGA and as an educational reference only. | |||||
| Higher community loading convention | 0.5-1 mg during loading; 1 mg for maintenance | Once daily until the desired pigmentation appears, then once or twice weekly | Subcutaneous from a 10 mg vial reconstituted to 5 mg/mL | Loading until pigment builds, then maintenanceNot specified | Community resource2026 |
| This chart quotes a loading range two to four times higher than the previous guide, which shows how little agreement there is in community practice. It notes that pigmentation builds over days to weeks, so escalating faster mainly adds nausea and total exposure, and that the approved EPP product relies on a single slow-release implant every 2 months rather than daily peaks. | |||||
| Evidence summary covering vials, implant and nasal spray | Trial figures of 0.08-0.21 mg/kg by injection, most often 0.16 mg/kg; 16 mg implant every 2 months | Daily 10-day research courses; implant every 2 months | Subcutaneous injection or implant; nasal spray addressed as untested | 10-day research courses; open-ended implant scheduleNot specified | Community resource2026 |
| This page is the clearest community statement on the aerosol question: it found no published human study of a Melanotan 1 nasal spray and notes that oral dosing at 0.16 mg/kg produced no detectable drug in blood in a 1997 pharmacokinetic study, so nothing is known about nasal absorption. It presents every number as a trial figure rather than a recommendation. | |||||
| Intranasal aerosol kit (research-vendor format) | 10 mg vial supplied with saline and an empty spray bottle; no per-spray amount stated | Not stated | Intranasal spray prepared by the buyer from the vial and saline; sold for laboratory research only | Not statedNot stated | Community resource2026 |
| This is a vendor claim about a product format, not a protocol. The kit is the same 10 mg vial sold for injection, with the buyer expected to reconstitute it in saline, transfer it to the spray bottle and refrigerate it. The vendor gives no dose per spray and, as the evidence summary above notes, no human study has measured whether intranasal Melanotan 1 is absorbed at all. | |||||
Community charts describe a daily subcutaneous loading phase, quoted anywhere from about 250 mcg to 1 mg a day depending on the guide, with the lower starting amounts used to gauge nausea and flushing.
Once pigmentation has built, the same guides drop to 250-500 mcg every 3-4 days or 1 mg once or twice weekly to hold the tan, with no defined end point or break.
The research courses that produced tanning ran only 2 weeks at 0.16 mg/kg a day, with darkening peaking 1-3 weeks after the last injection, and the approved product is a single 16 mg implant every 2 months. No human study has run the open-ended daily-then-weekly schedule described above.
Plus 4 community resources (dosing guides, forum threads and vendor write-ups), reported above but not linked.
Melanotan 1 is a synthetic 13-amino-acid analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, built with norleucine at position 4 and D-phenylalanine at position 7 so that it binds the MC1 receptor more strongly and lasts longer than the natural hormone. Under its drug name afamelanotide it is approved as Scenesse, a 16 mg implant placed under the skin every two months to increase pain-free light exposure in adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria, while the same molecule circulates on the grey market as a tanning peptide sold in vials and nasal spray kits. Human data come from the approved implant trials and from small 1990s tanning studies in healthy volunteers; no published human study has tested an intranasal form, and the injectable tanning use is unapproved by every regulator.
These themes describe recurring questions in published research. They are not claims of effectiveness or recommendations for use.
Hormonal, reproductive and sexual-function research.
Collagen, skin signaling and connective-tissue models.
The label requires a trained professional, a specific implantation cannula and 30 minutes of observation afterward, and recommends a full skin examination twice a year because the drug darkens existing moles and.
Median pain-free time in direct sunlight was 69.4 hours with afamelanotide versus 40.8 hours with placebo in the US trial, and 6.0 versus 0.8 hours in the EU trial, with fewer phototoxic reactions and better quality of.
Tanning was measured at 3 of 8 body sites (face, neck, forearm) and forearm eumelanin rose 98% one week after the course ended, with no change in pheomelanin. A 1991 randomized trial in 28 men used 10 injections over.
This guide models a 10 mg vial in 2 mL of bacteriostatic water (5 mg/mL, so 250 mcg is 5 units on a U-100 syringe) and is explicit that the approved product is a clinician-placed implant, not a daily injection. It.
Study models remain visible so laboratory and animal findings are not mistaken for established human outcomes.
3 protocol rows on this page come from human trials, trial registrations, regulator labels or reviews of human data. Approval status and populations are stated per row.
4 rows record what blogs, vendor write-ups or forums describe for Melanotan 1. None has been verified against primary literature.
Sequence, synonyms and registry identifiers as recorded in PubChem, the National Library of Medicine's open chemistry database. Formula, mass and CAS number are summarized at the top of the page.
Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle-Glu-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2
Afamelanotide, Melanotan I, Melanotan-1, NDP-MSH, [Nle4, D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH, CUV-1647, Scenesse, CHEBI:136034
UAHFGYDRQSXQEB-LEBBXHLNSA-N
(4S)-4-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-2-acetamido-3-hydroxypropanoyl]amino]-3-(4-hydroxyphenyl)propanoyl]amino]-3-hydroxypropanoyl]amino]hexanoyl]amino]-5-[[(2S)-1-[[(2R)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[(2S)-1-[[2-[[(2S)-6-amino-1-[(2S)-2-[[(2S)-1-amino-3-methyl-1-oxobutan-2-yl]carbamoyl]pyrrolidin-1-yl]-1-oxohexan-2-yl]amino]-2-oxoethyl]amino]-3-(1H-indol-3-yl)-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-5-carbamimidamido-1-oxopentan-2-yl]amino]-1-oxo-3-phenylpropan-2-yl]amino]-3-(1H-imidazol-5-yl)-1-oxopropan-2-yl]amino]-5-oxopentanoic acid
5 curated references, each with its journal, year and study model, plus 4 community resources reported but not linked.