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Melanotan II supplied as a lyophilised 10 mg vial. Tested at 99.64% purity by an independent laboratory. Certificate published under lot MZ-240826-MT2.
98+
Every lot has a certificate from an independent laboratory, typically for HPLC purity and identity.
1–3
Orders are usually prepared for shipment within 1–3 business days, then tracked end to end.
COA
Read the latest certificate for the compound before you place the order, not after.
Certificate of analysis
The certificate of analysis an independent laboratory issued for the lot listed here: typically purity by HPLC and identity, and endotoxins where the laboratory tested them.
Lyophilised powder is stable at ambient temperature in transit. On arrival, keep sealed vials refrigerated at 2–8 °C, dry and dark. For storage beyond three months, keep at −20 °C.
Follow your laboratory's own protocol.
Refrigerate at 2–8 °C and protect from light. Use within 30 days. Discard if the solution becomes cloudy or discoloured.
For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary consumption. Not a drug or dietary supplement.
Research record
Melanotan II is a synthetic cyclic peptide analog of alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone (α-MSH) studied in research contexts. It functions by binding to several melanocortin receptors, including MC1R, MC3R, and MC4R. Through MC1R activation in melanocytes, it stimulates melanin production. The compound's interaction with MC3R and MC4R receptors has been associated with effects on appetite regulation and metabolic processes in research settings. Studies have also indicated that it may influence other physiological pathways through its binding to multiple receptor subtypes. The cyclic structure of Melanotan II gives it different binding characteristics compared to linear peptides, potentially affecting its interaction with receptor targets.
01
The compound is a cyclic analogue of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone, described in the medicinal chemistry literature as an unselective agonist of the human melanocortin receptors. Dermatological work attributes the skin darkening to interaction at the melanocortin 1 receptor specifically. The lack of selectivity across the receptor family is the property that later chemistry set out to change, and it is also why the compound acts well beyond pigmentation.
02
Because melanocortin receptors carry a pleiotropic role across physiological and pathological processes, medicinal chemists have used this peptide as the parent scaffold for agonists with improved selectivity. One study replaced its lactam cyclisation with xylene-derived thioethers and reported binding affinities from the low nanomolar to the sub-micromolar range, with a correlation between the linker explored and the affinity obtained. A separate line of work applies tryptathionine and bis-indole staples to the melanocortin peptide family, reporting nanomolar dissociation constants and one in the sub-nanomolar range.
03
The one in vivo report in this set examines diet rather than pigmentation. Zebrafish fed a high-fat diet for roughly one per cent of their lifespan showed impaired recognition memory, raised anxiety measures and reduced exploratory behaviour against controls after three weeks. Animals on the same diet given the peptide were described as returning to recognition memory, anxiety and exploratory behaviour similar to the control group. The authors note that studies of melanotropins in diet-induced neurobehavioural conditions were absent before this one.
| Research area | Assay |
|---|---|
| Receptor pharmacology | Binding across the human melanocortin receptor subtypes |
| Pigmentation | Melanocortin 1 receptor interaction |
| Analogue design | Lactam cyclisation replaced by thioether and stapled scaffolds |
| Behavioural models | Recognition memory, anxiety and exploration in zebrafish |
| Analytical identity | HPLC-DAD and mass spectrometry against a reference standard |
The safety literature is the most developed part of this compound's record, and it does not read in its favour. A 2020 case report attributes a renal infarction to Melanotan II and notes that rhabdomyolysis and renal failure had been described before it, proposing a thrombotic effect and possible direct toxicity as the routes. A 2014 report describes cutaneous melanoma in a 20-year-old three months after exposure to the compound, alongside sunbed use. That is a single case with an obvious parallel exposure, and the authors' stated conclusion is the narrower one: the compound is unlicensed and incompletely tested, so the extent and types of adverse effect are unknown. Supply is a separate matter. A 2024 forensic analysis of vials labelled Melanotan II confirmed the identity against a reference standard and measured the purity at 30 per cent. What is known about how the compound is actually used comes from surveys of online forums rather than from trials. The compound holds no FDA approval.
Regulatory status as of October 2026.
2D structure · PubChem CID 92432
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Check three things in order. First, the lot code on the certificate matches the lot listed on the product page and in your order. Second, where the report gives an HPLC purity, its chromatogram shows a single dominant peak at the stated figure; a blend's report shows a peak for each compound. Third, where the lab ran mass spectrometry, the measured mass matches the expected molecular weight of the compound. Anything that does not line up, send us the lot code.
Unopened vials keep at ambient temperature short term, as in transit; on arrival, refrigerate them at 2–8 °C, and keep them at −20 °C beyond three months. Reconstitute following your laboratory's own protocol; once in solution, refrigerate at 2–8 °C, protect from light and use within 30 days.
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