Is Melanotan I legal in the US?
No. Tanning injections are not approved and are sold as research chemicals. The same molecule is approved as an implant for a rare disease.
Melanotan I is the same molecule as afamelanotide, which the FDA approved in 2019 as the Scenesse implant for adults with erythropoietic protoporphyria. Injectable 'Melanotan I' sold online for tanning is not approved by the FDA for any use and is sold as a research chemical. 2
As afamelanotide in the Scenesse implant, yes. It has been approved since 2019 for erythropoietic protoporphyria in adults. As an injectable tanning product sold online, no. 2
Read the full Melanotan I page
More on Melanotan I
Citations
- Barnetson 2006, J Invest Dermatol: [Nle4-D-Phe7]-alpha-MSH increased pigmentation and decreased UV damage in fair-skinned volunteers pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Langendonk 2015, NEJM: Afamelanotide for erythropoietic protoporphyria pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- 2013, J Pharm Biomed Anal: Analysis of melanotan products purchased on the internet doi.org
Reference information only, not medical advice. Drawn from the Melanotan I article, fact-checked against the cited sources. No dosing anywhere on this site.