Compare · Melanocortin
Afamelanotide vs Melanotan II
Both are melanocortin compounds. Here's how they line up on the evidence — graded the same way.
| Afamelanotide | Melanotan II | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | 9/10 | 6/10 |
| Class | Melanocortin | Melanocortin |
| Summary | Afamelanotide is an FDA- and EMA-approved implant for a rare light-sensitivity disease. The trial evidence is real but modest, and it is not the gray-market tanning drug. | A synthetic tanning peptide that does something, but is unapproved, unregulated, and tied to serious harms from priapism to melanoma case reports. |
| Full profile → | Full profile → |
Afamelanotide
Afamelanotide stands out in the "melanotan" family because it is an actual approved medicine, not a gray-market product. Sold under the brand name Scenesse, it is a drug that a doctor implants under the skin to treat a rare inherited disease that makes people extremely sensitive to light. That…
Melanotan II
Melanotan II is a man-made peptide sold online to darken skin (people call it "the tan jab"), curb appetite, and boost sex drive. No country has approved it as a drug, and the way people actually use it has never been put through a proper, controlled study.