Hard Side Effect DocCheck A Current Affair: Tanning 'Barbie drug' a danger to users, experts say Melanotan is trending again. As a dermatologist, I strongly need to tell you It's an unapproved injectable peptide, and we're seeing: nausea and flushing darkening of existing moles Hannah Tittensor and her boyfriend Ben Dunlop have been injecting themselves with an illegal tanning drug called Melanotan for three years. On top of that, they use sunbeds regularly and slather themselves Dangerous 'Barbie drug' Melanotan II sparks crackdown on social media influencers ABC News