Your body already makes a hormone that tells your skin to tan. Melanotan 2 is a synthetic peptide engineered to mimic that hormone but in a version that's more potent and longer lasting than Melanotan II Wikipedia Risks of Melanotan: TGA to issue fresh warning against 'Barbie drug' The Australian Health warning over banned tanning drug The Canberra Times Canberra, ACT Melanotan II Research Peptide Australia Peptide Queens No, you don't need the 'Barbie drug' to tan, whatever TikTok says. Here's why melanotan II is so risky