Warning issued over increased use of 'Barbie drug' No, you don't need the 'Barbie drug' to tan, whatever TikTok says. Here's why melanotan II is so risky Health expert says Melanotan II darkens skin moles and can make melanoma hard to detect Herald Sun 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