Melanotan 1

Research summary

Melanotan 1 (afamelanotide) is a synthetic analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone that activates the skin-pigment receptor, stimulating melanin production. Under the brand name Scenesse, afamelanotide is FDA-approved for a specific rare genetic disorder causing severe sun-triggered skin pain —a distinct medical indication, separate from general use.

The pivotal evidence came from two multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. In the primary published trial, treated patients tolerated a median of 69.4 pain-free hours in direct sunlight over the study period, versus 40.8 hours on placebo. A long-term observational study following 115 patients found disease-specific quality-of-life scores more than doubled after starting treatment.

Sources: NEJM, 2015 (Langendonk et al.); British Journal of Dermatology, 2015 (Biolcati et al.). Findings from published research —not a claim about this product, and not evidence of safety or effectiveness for human use.