Source comparison
Melanotan-2 Melanogenesis: Peptide Type Comparison
Melanotan-2 (MT-II) 1000× alpha-MSH ~33 minutes 48–72 hours Nausea, flushing, appetite suppression, spontaneous erections (males) Most potent melanogenic peptide available; fastest pigmentation but highest side effect burden. Requires careful titration and con
This comparison does not assign a generated winner or score.
- Melanotan-2 (MT-II)
- 1000× alpha-MSH
- ~33 minutes
- 48–72 hours
- Nausea, flushing, appetite suppression, spontaneous erections (males)
- Most potent melanogenic peptide available; fastest pigmentation but highest side effect burden. Requires careful titration and consistent dosing for uniform results
- Melanotan-1 (Afamelanotide)
- 100× alpha-MSH
- ~50 minutes
- 72–96 hours
- Mild nausea, injection site darkening
- FDA-approved for erythropoietic protoporphyria; slower melanogenesis than MT-II but better tolerance and more predictable response. Fewer non-melanogenic effects
- Alpha-MSH (Endogenous)
- Baseline reference
- 10–20 minutes
- 7–14 days (UV-dependent)
- None (physiological)
- Natural melanocortin released post-UV exposure; requires DNA damage signal to initiate. Provides true photoprotective melanogenesis with epidermal thickening
- Melanotan-2 melanogenesis produces the fastest and most dramatic pigmentation response of any known melanocortin agonist, but that potency comes at the cost of side effects driven by non-selective receptor activation. Melanotan-2 binds not only MC1R (melanogenesis) but also MC3R and MC4R (appetite suppression, energy expenditure) and MC5R (sebaceous gland activity). This is why nausea and reduced appetite are nearly universal at doses above 0.75 mg. Those aren't melanogenic effects, they're CNS-mediated responses from hypothalamic melanocortin receptor activation. Melanotan 1 exhibits higher MC1R selectivity, producing comparable melanogenesis with fewer systemic side effects, but its slower onset makes it less popular despite better tolerability.