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Australians who use tanning products containing ‘melanotan’ are at risk of serious health problems.
These products include nasal sprays and other injectable and ingestible tanning products, and are being illegally promoted and sold online.
Melanotans are synthetic peptides that increase melanin production in the skin to give it a tanned appearance. They are often listed on the label as Melanotan I or Melanotan II.
Risks of using melanotans
Promoters of these tanning products often claim they are safe and natural. They are far from safe. It is well known that melanotan can cause serious side effects and should only be used under medical supervision.
While the most common side effects include headache, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and facial redness, the most concerning one is the risk of serious skin cancers. With melanotan-II, there have been reports of increased moles and freckles, kidney dysfunction and swelling of the brain.
Melanotan is not approved for sale or use as a tanning agent in Australia. These tanning agents haven’t been assessed for their quality or safety. Since these tanning products are not approved for sale or use in Australia, you also have no way of knowing what’s in them, no matter what’s written on the label. They could be made with toxic, poor quality or counterfeit ingredients.
If you have recently used unapproved tanning products containing melanotan, you should stop and speak to a health professional.
No tan, fake or real, will protect skin against damage from sun exposure. Use of melanotan to increase skin pigmentation artificially will not protect against UV exposure the way a suitable sunscreen will.
Don’t break the law
It is illegal to supply tanning products containing melanotan without a doctor’s prescription. These restrictions apply regardless of whether it is a spray, a tablet, an injection, a cream or in any other form.
It is also illegal to advertise melanotan to the Australian public. This includes promotion by social media influencers. Their illegal marketing targets young people with body image pressures who are more vulnerable to believing these claims.
The advertising rules apply to anyone who disseminates information about melanotan. These rules cover all media types visible to the public such as web pages, social media and targeted or sponsored posts.
Contraventions of the advertising requirements under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 can result in significant fines and penalties for individuals and/or corporations.
The TGA has a dedicated workforce to investigate the inappropriate and unlawful manufacturing, distribution, sale, import and advertising of therapeutic goods.
In partnership with online retailers and social media platforms, we identify unlawful advertisements and work with the digital platforms to remove them and take other action as appropriate. We also work with other agencies, regulators, and law enforcement including the Australian Border Force and Australian Federal Police.
In 2023-24, the TGA requested the removal of over 4,800 unlawful advertisements of therapeutic goods from various digital platforms (including social media platforms). Many of which were unlawful advertising from the wellness and beauty industry.
The TGA welcomes reporting of any suspected advertising breaches from the public. This can be done online at any time using our online portal.
