MT-1

most data

Also seen as: Afamelanotide, Melanotan I, afamelanotide, Scenesse

The Dose Guy’s verdict

Sep 1, 2026
3 sources

MT-1 is the gentler tan that is not actually gentler. My honest conclusion after trying it: it causes the same pigment changes as MT-2 by the same mechanism, just fewer of them because it is weaker. A low dose of MT-2 gets you the same trade at less volume. MT-1 does have real clinical data and a regulatory approval, more pedigree than almost anything on this shelf, but pedigree is not the same as a better result. I switched back and have not looked back.

Would I take it?Not over MT-2 at a low dose.

What it is

A linear alpha-MSH analog, the original melanocortin peptide built for clinical use. Where MT-2 is cyclic and hits multiple melanocortin receptors, MT-1 is selective for MC1R, the pigmentation receptor, and largely skips the MC4R activation that gives MT-2 its libido and erection effects. That selectivity is the selling point and the limitation: it tans without the sexual side effects, but it tans less per milligram.

The EPP program, where MT-1 is approved as a subcutaneous implant for a rare light-sensitivity condition, is why it has trial data most peptides would envy. The community that runs it for cosmetic tanning uses injectable MT-1 at far lower doses, borrowing the mechanism without the implant.

What the research shows

More human data than most peptides on this shelf, all from disease indications rather than cosmetic tanning:

In the 74-patient European EPP trial, median pain-free direct sunlight exposure after 9 months was 6.0 hours with afamelanotide versus 0.8 hours with placebo, p=0.005. The drug drove enough melanin to protect photosensitive skin from its own disease.NEJM 2015 · EPP RCTs · n=168

At day 168, vitiligo repigmentation was 48.64% with afamelanotide plus narrowband UVB versus 33.26% with UVB alone. Facial repigmentation started at 41.0 days versus 61.0, p=0.001.JAMA Dermatol 2015 · vitiligo RCT · n=55

Across 1,023 implants in 115 patients followed for up to 8 years, only minor attributable adverse events were recorded, predominantly nausea. The safety record is long.BJD 2015 · longitudinal · n=115

Realistic protocols

If you choose MT-1 over MT-2 despite the verdict, the protocol is simple but the dose is higher because the compound is weaker milligram for milligram. Skip the loading ramp here too. Start at a working dose, get some UV, and hold at the minimum that keeps your tan.

You need UV for MT-1 exactly as you do for MT-2. The peptide primes the melanocytes, sunlight or a low-pressure bed pulls the trigger. No baking required.

My recommendation stands: a low dose of MT-2 gets the same melanin production with less peptide. The mole and freckle trade is comparable per unit of tan gained. The one real reason to pick MT-1 is if you specifically want to avoid the libido and erection effects of MT-2, and even there, low-dose MT-2 produces those mildly enough that most people do not notice.

Weeks 1–4500 mcg–1 mg 2–3x/wkSub-q. Higher than MT-2 because MT-1 is weaker per milligram.

Maintenance500 mcg 1–2x/wkOnce your tan is set, hold the lowest dose that keeps it.

Side effects

Gentler in reputation than in practice. The same mechanism means the same class of effects, diluted:

commonNausea, the most frequent side effect in every afamelanotide trial. Dose-related and fades with continued use.

commonInjection-site reactions, erythema, and minor infections reported in the trial programs.

monitorNew moles and darkening freckles, the same pigment trade as MT-2. The selectivity does not spare you, it slows it down. Get a baseline skin check with a dermatologist and flag anything that changes shape or color.

anecdotalMild libido increase at higher doses. Less than MT-2, but not absent. MC1R selectivity is not absolute.