ISCAN 2026 Watch · Unapproved products

Melanotan: The Tanning "Peptide" Nobody Approved

Sold online as nasal sprays, injections and drops, and promoted on TikTok as a shortcut to a deep tan, melanotan is an unapproved drug of unknown purity. Health Canada now names it in a warning.

Cartoon titled Psst... Instant Tan? On a boardwalk at dusk, a shady man in a trench coat and fedora opens his coat to show nasal sprays and syringes labelled TAN PEPTIDE for research only, to a curious young man. A sign behind them reads Gov't Warning!!! Unauthorized products can seriously harm you. — Editorial cartoon, ISCAN / HealthWatcher.net. Satire; the people are fictional. The warning on the sign quotes Health Canada’s April 2026 advisory on unauthorized peptides, which names Melanotan I and II.

What it is

Melanotan I and Melanotan II are lab-made copies of a hormone (alpha-MSH) that tells skin cells to make melanin, the pigment that darkens skin. Online sellers market them as "tanning peptides," sometimes under nicknames like the "Barbie drug," and often label them "for research only" to dodge drug laws. Buyers squirt them up the nose or inject them, usually while still using sunbeds or the sun to "activate" the tan.

A related drug, afamelanotide, is approved in the U.S. and Europe for a rare light-sensitivity disorder. It is given as a doctor-placed implant under strict supervision, and it is not a cosmetic tanning product.

Health Canada's warning

In April 2026 Health Canada warned Canadians to reconsider injecting peptides bought online, saying "unauthorized products can seriously harm you." It named Melanotan I and II among the unauthorized peptide drugs that should be avoided. Peptides are generally regulated as prescription drugs in Canada and should only be used if authorized and under a licensed health professional's care. Health Canada listed possible risks including hormone and blood-sugar imbalances, mood changes, liver or kidney damage, blood clots, possible tumour growth, infections and allergic reactions.

Regulators in Ireland (HPRA) and the UK (MHRA) have issued their own warnings about melanotan sold through social media, and it cannot legally be sold for tanning in the US, UK or Australia.

Reported side effects

Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite and facial flushing
New moles, and existing moles that darken or change
Rare but serious reports: prolonged painful erections (priapism), kidney damage from blocked blood flow, and muscle breakdown (rhabdomyolysis)
Products bought online vary widely in what they actually contain, from batch to batch

There have been scattered case reports of melanoma appearing in melanotan users. It hasn't been proven that the drug caused them, but no one has studied its long-term safety, and changing moles make melanoma harder to spot.

If you've used it

Stop using it, and dispose of leftover product safely; pharmacies can take it back.
Have any new or changing mole checked by a doctor or dermatologist, and mention that you used melanotan.
Report side effects to Health Canada through MedEffect Canada.
If you want a tan, a sunless self-tanning lotion applied to the skin is far safer. Remember it gives no sun protection.

Sources

This page is consumer information, not personal medical advice. If you have a new or changing mole, see a doctor or dermatologist. Last updated 2 November 2026.