Compare · Melanocortin
Melanotan II vs PT-141
Both are melanocortin compounds. Here's how they line up on the evidence — graded the same way.
| Melanotan II | PT-141 | |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence | Preliminary human | Strong human |
| Class | Melanocortin | Melanocortin |
| Summary | A synthetic tanning peptide that does something, but is unapproved, unregulated, and tied to serious harms from priapism to melanoma case reports. | An FDA-approved melanocortin agonist for low sexual desire in premenopausal women. Two real Phase 3 trials show a small, genuine benefit for that one use; almost everything else people take it for is unstudied. |
| Full profile → | Full profile → |
Melanotan II
Melanotan II is a synthetic peptide sold online to darken skin ("the tan jab"), suppress appetite, and boost libido. It is not approved as a drug anywhere, and the way people actually use it has never been tested in a controlled trial.
PT-141
PT-141 (bremelanotide) is one of the few compounds discussed in this space that is actually an FDA-approved drug, sold as Vyleesi. That approval is narrow, and most of the ways people use PT-141 fall well outside it. The evidence behind the approved use is real and well-run; the evidence behind…