Melanotan II 10 mg lyophilised peptide vial with white cap and pink and blue label

NovaPep

Buy Melanotan II Australia: Melanotan II 10mg Research Vial and Nasal Spray

$49AUD, GST included

In stock in Australia, batch certificate ready

Certificate of analysis published for every batch
Third-party HPLC purity and MS identity testing
Dispatched same day before 3pm cut-off, tracked Australia-wide
Research use only, sold to adults aged 18 and over

Buy MT2 peptide online in Australia as a 10 mg Melanotan II research vial or a 10 mL nasal spray, tested on every lot. The MT2 peptide, Melanotan II, is a ring-shaped seven amino acid analogue of alpha-MSH, Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2, sealed by a lactam bridge. It activates MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R together, which is why melanocortin labs treat it as their default broad agonist. Identity figures are C50H69N15O9, 1024.2 g/mol and CAS 121062-08-6. Lots in each format are analysed by HPLC for purity and by mass spectrometry for identity. It is available in Australia as a 10 mg lyophilised vial or a 10 mL nasal spray version, both sent from local stock with the certificate open before paying. Add PT-141 to the cart if you want to compare two ligands that share one ring. The vial ships as dry powder with no diluent, so order bacteriostatic water and work out the strength with the peptide calculator, whereas the spray is supplied already in solution. Store the unopened vial at -20 °C and out of light. Sold as a research reagent to adults aged 18 and over only.

For laboratory research use only. Not for human or veterinary use. Not TGA approved. See the NovaPep research use policy.

What Is the MT2 Peptide?

Melanotan 2 is a synthetic, ring-closed peptide modelled on alpha-MSH, the body's natural messenger at the melanocortin receptors, and it turns on four of that family's five receptors together. For researchers it works as a master key to the whole melanocortin system, not as a probe for one receptor. You can order Melanotan II online in Australia as a 10 mg research vial or a 10 mL nasal spray, and every lot ships with its own certificate.

Melanotan II grew out of the same University of Arizona work that produced Melanotan 1, but the chemists went in another direction. Instead of retaining the whole hormone, they trimmed the active core down to seven residues and joined it into a ring with a lactam bridge between aspartate and lysine. Norleucine stands in for methionine, which oxidises easily, and a D-phenylalanine boosts receptor affinity, producing a small, robust peptide that binds at nanomolar levels.

How Melanotan II Works Across the Melanocortin System

A Quick Tour of the Melanocortin System

The pituitary, hypothalamus and skin all cut alpha-MSH from a larger parent protein called pro-opiomelanocortin. The hormone then acts on five related receptors, each based in its own tissue. MC5R appears mostly in exocrine glands, and MC3R and MC4R cluster in the brain, where they help regulate food intake and energy use. MC2R in the adrenal gland answers only to ACTH, while MC1R on melanocytes governs the shift toward dark eumelanin. Each of the five couples to Gs proteins, so switching one on lifts intracellular cAMP. Natural melanocortins all carry the four-residue core His-Phe-Arg-Trp, and Melanotan II holds that core within its ring, with phenylalanine turned into the D form to make binding stronger and longer.

How the MT2 Ring Was Designed

The design dates to 1989. Working at the University of Arizona, Fahad Al-Obeidi, Mac Hadley and Victor Hruby ran molecular dynamics simulations to build cyclic lactam forms of alpha-MSH that outperformed the hormone in potency and duration. A lactam bridge linking an aspartate side chain to a lysine side chain holds the core in the turn conformation that the receptors favour.

Receptors engaged are subtypes 1, 3, 4 and 5, with MC2R left alone.
The second messenger is cAMP, raised through Gs coupling.
A landmark study by Fan, Cone and colleagues (Nature, 1997) paired Melanotan II with the antagonist SHU9119 to prove that central melanocortin signalling governs feeding in mice.

Melanotan II Research: What Studies Have Looked At

That 1997 result highlights something often overlooked. Away from the tanning headlines, the Melanotan II peptide built its scientific reputation as a central MC3R and MC4R agonist in rodent studies of feeding and energy balance, rather than as a pigment reagent. When pigmentation is the real research question, its activity at brain and gland receptors only adds noise, and the linear, MC1R-favouring Melanotan 1 analogue will produce cleaner results. Melanotan II is at its best in receptor mapping, combined with a selective antagonist or a knockout line so that each effect can be pinned to one receptor. Our complete guide to Melanotan 1 and 2 lays out how the two analogues differ in structure. Labs planning similar studies can order Melanotan II online in Australia, with identity and purity confirmed on every lot.

Labs use it as an all-round activator of MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R, frequently alongside an antagonist like SHU9119 to identify which receptor drives a response. MC2R, the receptor for ACTH, is the only one it does not reach. No country has ever approved Melanotan II as a medicine, and what NovaPep sells is a research reagent. Browse it with other related ligands in our melanocortin peptides range.

Melanotan II Specifications and Formats

Product name	Melanotan II (MT-II, MT2)
Formats	10 mg vial, 10 mL nasal spray
Sequence	Ac-Nle-cyclo[Asp-His-D-Phe-Arg-Trp-Lys]-NH2
Chain length	7 amino acids, cyclic lactam
Formula	C50H69N15O9
Molecular weight	1024.2 g/mol
CAS	121062-08-6
Appearance	White lyophilised powder inside a sealed glass vial, or prepared solution in a 10 mL pump bottle
Quality checks	HPLC for purity and mass spectrometry for identity, with a certificate per lot in each format
In the box	Vial holding 10 mg Melanotan II with diluent purchased separately, or spray holding 10 mL of solution
Storage conditions	Sealed vial at -20 °C and 2 to 8 °C after reconstitution, spray according to its label
Stock status	In stock in both formats
Intended use	In vitro laboratory research only

This listing covers two physical formats. The 10 mg vial contains a white freeze-dried plug of peptide alone, under a white cap with a pink and blue label. The 10 mL bottle holds a prepared solution beneath a white pump actuator and silver collar, so no reconstitution is required. The same cyclic heptapeptide is in each, and each is tested as its own lot. Melanotan 1, the linear relative, and PT-141, which shares the ring, are listed as separate products for comparative receptor studies.

Melanotan II is the reagent to use when a single ligand needs to activate most of the melanocortin family in one step. It remains the go-to positive control for those receptors, and both formats are drawn from tested lots kept in Australian stock.

Confirming Melanotan II by Mass

Mass is the identity test that counts most. PT-141 uses the same ring and differs only in having a free carboxylic acid at the C-terminus where Melanotan II has an amide. Their masses sit roughly one unit apart and HPLC on its own struggles to tell them apart. Every lot certificate gives a measured mass that should agree with about 1024.2 g/mol, alongside the HPLC purity result and the date of analysis.

Tryptophan within the ring is prone to oxidation, so a lot stored correctly keeps a clean chromatogram, whereas a minor satellite peak roughly 16 mass units heavier suggests a poor storage history. The most suitable Melanotan 2 peptide for any project is the lot whose certificate you have read and matched to your own vial. Search any lot in the COA library, and our article on how to read a COA walks through the mass and purity columns.

Handling and Storage of Melanotan II

With the vial, bring it to room temperature, trickle the diluent down the side of the glass and swirl until the powder clears, because Melanotan II dissolves easily in water. For reference, adding 5 mL to the 10 mg vial yields 2 mg/mL and 2.5 mL yields 4 mg/mL, and the peptide calculator handles any other volume. Order Melanotan II online in Australia and it travels by tracked Australia Post from our local stock.

Store unopened vials at -20 °C out of light to protect the tryptophan. Move reconstituted solution to 2 to 8 °C in aliquots and use it within 28 days. The spray bottle follows the storage instructions and expiry date on its own label, and since spray and vial lots are tested independently, note the lot code of the format you use. More on shelf life is in the peptide storage guide.

Melanotan II Compared With PT-141 and Melanotan 1

Melanotan II is the pick for a broad four-receptor activator, handy as a positive control or for mapping the system. PT-141 is the pick when the work focuses on the central MC3R and MC4R receptors with lower MC1R activity, because it keeps the ring but ends in a free acid.

If MC1R selectivity matters most, order Melanotan 1, the linear alternative, instead. The Melanotan 1 vs 2 comparison explains the structural differences in detail.

Other Names for Melanotan II

You will see the compound written as Melanotan II in Roman numerals, Melanotan 2, Melanotan-2, MT-II and MT2, and some papers simply describe it by structure as a cyclic lactam analogue of alpha-MSH. All of these labels point to the same ring and to CAS 121062-08-6, and the different spellings say nothing about any change in sequence or quality.

Associated receptor terms include the antagonist SHU9119, agouti-related protein, alpha-melanocyte stimulating hormone and melanocortin receptors 1, 3, 4 and 5. Melanotan 1, the linear peptide, is a distinct compound and has a product page of its own.

Is Melanotan II Legal in Australia?

So is Melanotan legal in Australia? According to the TGA, Melanotan II is a prescription-only (Schedule 4) medicine, it has never been approved for tanning, and supplying it for tanning without a prescription is illegal in every form, be it spray, tablet, injection or cream. Public advertising is also banned, and that includes influencer content. In January 2025 the TGA cautioned that melanotan nasal sprays and other tanning products were being promoted illegally online, and it has since handed a NSW individual 27 infringement notices worth a combined $101,412 for allegedly supplying Melanotan II. As of October 2026 the ARTG lists no registered Melanotan II product. Melanotan 1 is a very different case, because its pharmaceutical form afamelanotide was created by Clinuvel, a Melbourne company. The TGA entered it in 2020 as the Scenesse implant, a treatment for the rare light-sensitivity disorder erythropoietic protoporphyria. That is in no sense an approval for tanning.

Buy MT2 Peptide Online in Australia

As a result, research supply is the only legitimate route for anyone wanting to buy Melanotan 2 in Australia or source MT2 Australia stock. NovaPep holds both formats in Australian stock as receptor pharmacology reagents for in vitro use, sold to adults 18 and over, and neither format is intended for tanning or for any human or veterinary use. See our Melanotan 1 vs 2 guide for more regulatory context, or look at the selective Melanotan 1 vial instead.

For most first purchases the 10 mg vial makes sense, since you pick the working concentration and the dry powder sits safely in the freezer until the project begins. The 10 mL nasal spray format is delivered in solution, which saves weighing and mixing when several staff need the same pre-made stock, although it cannot be concentrated or diluted inside the bottle.

Order every vial a longer study will need in a single purchase so they come from one lot with one certificate. Labs wanting a mapping tool plus a selective comparator frequently put Melanotan 1 in the same parcel. Melanotan II is supplied only to adults aged 18 and over, and age is confirmed before an order goes through.

NovaPep has no shopfront or pickup counter, so you order either format online and it is packed from Australian stock and sent by tracked delivery to every state and territory. Anything ordered before 3pm on a business day is dispatched the same day.

More on Buying Melanotan II in Australia

How do I choose the best Melanotan 2 peptide?

Choose by lot data, not branding. The best Melanotan 2 peptide for research is one whose certificate confirms a mass near 1024.2 g/mol by mass spectrometry and states purity by HPLC. NovaPep publishes that report for every vial and spray lot before checkout.

What are the Melanotan 2 peptide benefits for skin?

NovaPep makes no skin or tanning claims. In the lab, Melanotan II is a broad melanocortin agonist used as a positive control in MC1R pigmentation assays with melanocytes. It is not approved for human use in Australia, and both formats are sold for in vitro research only.

Melanotan II at a Glance

Ring-shaped melanocortin agonist

Melanotan II is a cyclic seven amino acid form of alpha-MSH that switches on four of the five melanocortin receptors.

Choose a vial or spray

Buy the 10 mg powder vial or the 10 mL spray format. Bacteriostatic water for the vial is sold separately.

A lab positive control

Scientists use it in cells and rodent models to activate the melanocortin system and then work out which receptor is involved, in the laboratory only.

Compared with PT-141

PT-141 has the same ring but a different terminal group, which moves its activity toward two brain receptors.

Keep it in the dark

Store the unopened vial frozen at -20 °C away from light. Reconstituted solution keeps in the fridge in aliquots for up to 28 days.

Identity by mass

Every lot is run through mass spectrometry to separate it from PT-141 and through HPLC for purity, and certificates are kept in the COA library.

Melanotan II FAQ

What is Melanotan II and how does it work?

Melanotan II is a cyclic seven residue analogue of alpha-MSH, closed by a lactam bridge between aspartate and lysine. It activates MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R, each coupled to Gs, so binding raises intracellular cAMP. MC2R, the ACTH receptor, is the only family member it does not reach.

Can I buy MT2 peptide near me?

Yes, through the NovaPep online store. Select the 10 mg vial or the 10 mL spray, complete checkout, and orders made before 3pm on a business day are sent the same day. Tracked parcels go from local stock to every Australian state and territory, as there is no shopfront or collection point.

Is the vial or the nasal spray format better to order?

Most labs prefer the 10 mg vial for its flexibility, since you choose the concentration and the sealed powder keeps well in the freezer. The 10 mL spray arrives in solution, which suits groups that want a single pre-made stock, although it cannot be concentrated or diluted in the bottle.

Is a certificate of analysis included with Melanotan II?

Yes. Lots in both formats are checked by HPLC for purity and by mass spectrometry, which should agree with about 1024.2 g/mol and distinguishes it from PT-141. You can find the certificate in the COA library using the lot code on your vial or bottle.

Which should I order, Melanotan II or PT-141?

Order Melanotan II when you need broad activation of MC1R, MC3R, MC4R and MC5R, such as for a positive control. Order PT-141 when your study focuses on MC3R and MC4R with lower MC1R activity. Because both share a ring, buying the two together makes for a neat structural comparison.

Is Melanotan II suitable for personal use?

No. No regulator anywhere has approved Melanotan II as a medicine, and NovaPep supplies it only as a research reagent for in vitro laboratory work. Sales are limited to adults aged 18 and over, and it is never supplied for human or veterinary use in any form.