Encyclopedia · protein or peptide
Afamelanotide and melanotan
Skin-tanning peptides discussed online as hair-darkeners, but no study shows any effect on gray hair, and unlicensed melanotan injections have been linked to melanoma in case reports.
What it is
Afamelanotide (Scenesse) is a regulated implant for erythropoietic protoporphyria, a light-sensitivity disease. Melanotan II is an unlicensed "tanning" peptide sold online, injected by some young people, and approved nowhere.
How it works
They activate the melanocortin 1 receptor (and others, for melanotan II), stimulating melanin in skin pigment cells. Whether this ever affects hair colour is not established in the literature we found, and gray hair has few functional pigment cells in the growing bulb, so a skin tanning signal may not reach the problem.
What the studies show
- No study of afamelanotide or melanotan for hair colour was found (PubMed search 2026-10-10).
- In 15 people with protoporphyria on afamelanotide (103 moles), moles changed reversibly on dermoscopy with no features of malignancy over 12 months; hair was not assessed. Arisi 2021
- A 20-year-old developed melanoma after a 3-4 week self-injected melanotan II course plus sunbeds. This is a single case with a timing association only. Hjuler 2014
- Another case report links melanotan to melanoma (we read only the title). Paurobally 2011
How it's used in studies
Afamelanotide is given as a slow-release implant under the skin in protoporphyria care. Melanotan products are unlicensed.
Side effects and safety
Unlicensed melanotan products have unknown purity and dose, and case reports link them to new or changing moles and melanoma. Serious.
Bottom line
No hair benefit shown and a real harm signal, so the hair claim is unsupported. Discuss with a doctor.
Fun facts
- The peptide that tans skin has no demonstrated effect on gray hair, despite online claims.
Studies 3
Arisi M et al. Clinical and dermoscopic changes of acquired melanocytic nevi in patients treated with afamelanotide. Photochem Photobiol Sci. 2021
Result: Reversible dermoscopic mole changes without features of malignancy; hair not assessed.
Read the study ↗Hjuler KF, Lorentzen HF. Melanoma associated with the use of melanotan-II. Dermatology. 2014
Result: Melanoma in a 20-year-old after a 3-4 week melanotan-II self-injection course plus sunbeds; temporal association only.
Read the study ↗Paurobally D et al. Melanotan-associated melanoma. Br J Dermatol. 2011
Result: Melanoma associated with melanotan use (title only read).
Read the study ↗Related
- Gray hair and premature grayingGraying is mostly genetic, but single-hair mapping shows some gray hairs can regain colour, and the famous stress-causes-gray mechanism has only been proven in mice.
- Drug-induced hair changesMedicines can thin hair, regrow it curly, darken or whiten it, or lengthen lashes; this table sorts the best-known links by how strong the evidence is.