Melanotan I (Afamelanotide)
Published · Researched 2026-09-21
Category: Libido, Tanning, Sleep & Niche · Research date: 2026-09-20 · Slug: melanotan-i
Overview
Melanotan I is the research name for afamelanotide, a synthetic linear 13-amino-acid analogue of α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH) with selectivity skewed toward the MC1R receptor that drives melanin production. Two completely different products share the name and must never be confused: (1) Scenesse, the FDA/EMA-approved prescription subcutaneous implant for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP), a rare light-intolerance disease; and (2) grey-market "Melanotan I" lyophilized vials (10 mg standard) sold by research-peptide vendors for tanning purposes, which are unapproved. In community discussion it lives permanently in the shadow of Melanotan II — most searches for MT-I surface MT-II content, and many users conflate the two.
Social standing
Cross-platform: Direct community signal for Melanotan I is weak. Retrieval across social platforms was dominated by Melanotan II content — the MT-I/MT-II confusion is itself the defining social fact of this item. No verified Facebook-group item discussion, no Threads owner thread, and no Instagram owner-testimonial corpus specific to MT-I were found in this pass. What exists is mostly vendor catalog copy and educational pages distinguishing linear MT-I from cyclic MT-II.
The confusion caveat (important): A large share of "melanotan" discussion online — including safety warnings and experience reports — does not specify which compound is meant. Any sentiment attributed to "melanotan" generically should be treated as MT-II-weighted unless the source names afamelanotide/MT-I explicitly.
Recurring praise (where MT-I is named): described as the "cleaner" tanning peptide vs. MT-II — less nausea, less libido/erection side effects — though this comparison rests on thin community evidence, not trials.
Recurring complaints: overshadowed by MT-II in every discussion venue; grey-market vials trade on the pharmaceutical name (afamelanotide/Scenesse) without any of its regulatory standing.
Social validation
Tier: Tier 3 — no verified organic owner discussion on any surveyed platform; signal is limited to vendor listings and educational copy.
Named sources and what each proves:
- Vendor catalog pages (Limitless BioChem, Ameano Peptides, Go Alpha Labs, UK Peptide Lab — 2026 listings) — prove the grey-market product exists and is actively sold, nothing more.
- Cross-platform retrieval pattern — proves the MT-I/MT-II naming confusion is the dominant social reality; absence of MT-I-specific discussion is itself a finding.
Key specs table
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Identity | Melanotan I = afamelanotide, synthetic linear tridecapeptide α-MSH analogue ([Nle4, D-Phe7]-α-MSH) |
| Sequence | Ac-Ser-Tyr-Ser-Nle-Glu-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Gly-Lys-Pro-Val-NH2 (as catalog-listed) |
| Formula / MW | C78H111N21O19 · ~1646.8 g/mol · CAS 75921-69-6 (as catalog-listed; primary-source verification not performed) |
| Target | Melanocortin receptors, MC1R-skewed (melanogenesis); linear structure vs. MT-II's cyclic structure |
| Vial sizes (grey market) | 10 mg lyophilized per vial (standard) |
| Half-life | Longer than native α-MSH by design; exact figures in self-administered use — UNVERIFIED in this pass |
| Community-reported research use | Community dosing chatter is dominated by MT-II; MT-I-specific protocols (often cited 0.5–1 mg/day in vendor copy) are vendor-stated, not community-verified. Reported behavior only — not instructions. |
| Storage | Lyophilized: 2–8 °C desiccated, protect from light (vendor-stated); −20 °C for extended storage; reconstituted: 2–8 °C |
Pricing
All prices observed 2026-09-20 from research-peptide vendor listings (grey market, research-use-only), 10 mg vials unless noted.
| Vendor | Price (10 mg vial) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| UK Peptide Lab | £17.99 (list £24.99) | cheapest observed; quantity discounts to 10% |
| Limitless BioChem | €32.00 | EU vendor |
| Rocky Mountain Peptides | $28.49/vial at 5, $26.99 at 10 | bulk tiers; single-vial price not shown |
| Go Alpha Labs | $39.99 | third-party tested per listing |
| Ameano Peptides | $44.00 | 10–15% bulk tiers |
| Enhanced Executive | $49.00 | public third-party lab reports per listing |
| Novapeptide (vendor copy) | "$50–$100 per vial" | vendor-stated range, not a live listing price |
- Street range: roughly $27–$49 per 10 mg vial at single-vial pricing (US), €32 EU, ~£18 UK.
- China wholesale listings (peptide-powder.com): $55–63 per box of ten 10 mg vials — low-confidence supplier data, poor comparability, not street pricing.
- Facebook Marketplace: not searched in this pass — used-value range UNVERIFIED.
- Pharmaceutical Scenesse implant pricing: not surveyed (prescription channel, distinct product).
What's included / what's needed
Vial listings ship the lyophilized 10 mg vial only (some vendors add a per-lot COA). Needed separately: bacteriostatic water, insulin syringes. UK Peptide Lab explicitly cross-sells bacteriostatic water (£4.99) as required for reconstitution. The pharmaceutical Scenesse product is a finished implant administered by a physician — an entirely different product and channel.
Support reality
No manufacturer warranty on research vials; vendor guarantees are vendor policies only. Several vendors (Go Alpha Labs, Enhanced Executive) advertise third-party testing with public COA libraries — the strongest trust signal available in this market, but still vendor-published. No independent certification body exists. The pharmaceutical product's safety record does not transfer to grey-market vials.
Community verdict
Melanotan I is the "responsible sibling" in name only: the community barely discusses it as a distinct product, the MT-II confusion drowns out whatever signal exists, and its main real-world footprint is vendor catalogs trading on the afamelanotide name. Anyone researching it must treat generic "melanotan" sentiment as MT-II data, not MT-I data.
Regulatory & safety status
- Afamelanotide as Scenesse IS FDA/EMA approved — but only as a prescription subcutaneous implant for erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) (FDA approval October 2019; EMA earlier). Indication, formulation, dose, and supervision are all narrow and specific.
- Grey-market "Melanotan I" vials are NOT approved for tanning or any human use. The Scenesse approval does not transfer to them in any form.
- Tanning use of afamelanotide outside EPP is not an approved indication anywhere identified in this pass.
- Adverse events from the EPP trials (nausea, headache, injection-site reactions, pigmentary changes including moles/lentigines) describe the implant, not vial self-use; community adverse-event consensus for grey-market vials — UNVERIFIED.
Image views
4 of 8 views obtained (vendor product images, JPEG; converted from PNG originals). Top-angle, scale, box-accessories, and real-owner-in-use views were unavailable.
- hero:
img/melanotan-i-hero.jpg(Licensed Peptides MT-I) - side:
img/melanotan-i-side.jpg(The Simple Peps Melanotan-1 10 mg) - rear:
img/melanotan-i-rear.jpg(Apex Labaus MT-1) - detail:
img/melanotan-i-detail.jpg(Peptio Melanotan-1) - top-angle: unavailable
- scale: unavailable — no vendor image with a size reference found
- box-accessories: unavailable
- real-owner-in-use: unavailable — no verifiable real-owner product photos found
Not medical advice. This is research documentation only. Grey-market Melanotan I vials are not approved for human use; afamelanotide is approved only as the prescription Scenesse implant for EPP. Consult a licensed healthcare provider.
Named sources
- Vendor catalog pages (Limitless BioChem, Ameano Peptides, Go Alpha Labs, UK Peptide Lab — 2026 listings) — prove the grey-market product exists and is actively sold, nothing more. (2026)
- Cross-platform retrieval pattern — proves the MT-I/MT-II naming confusion is the dominant social reality
Source URLs were not recorded for these references.