Dying for a tan: The rise in sunbed use with melanotan, the illegal nasal spray that boosts tan with serious side effects Irish Independent The Dangers of Melanot*n II Explained 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 What is Melanotan II the drug that the TGA urges consumers to avoid?