Most of us have a complicated relationship with our skin. We want it to look young, we often want a tan, and we definitely want it to stay healthy. Because the human body is complicated, researchers have been looking into peptides—small chains of amino acids—to see if they can influence how our skin behaves.
The Quest for a Sunless Tan
If you have ever wished you could get a tan without spending hours in the sun, you might have heard of Melanotan II. This peptide was originally developed at the University of Arizona. It is what scientists call a non-selective melanocortin receptor agonist.
In plain English, this means it acts like a master key that unlocks several different biological locks (receptors) in your body. Its main job is stimulating melanogenesis, which is just a fancy way of saying it tells your skin to produce more dark pigment.
However, because it is non-selective, it does not just stop at your skin color. It also hits other receptors that can affect your appetite and even your sexual function. It also interacts with your sebaceous glands, which are the tiny glands in your skin that produce oil.
While the tanning effect is confirmed, there are some big question marks. Scientists are concerned about it potentially promoting melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer. Because it hits so many different parts of the body at once, both the FDA and the TGA (the medical regulatory groups in the US and Australia) have issued safety warnings about it. It currently holds a Grade C for evidence and is not approved for use.
Aging and the Search for Skin Support
Another peptide that pops up in conversations about aging is Cartalax. This one comes from researchers in Russia and is a tiny tripeptide, which is a chain of just three amino acids called Ala-Glu-Asp.
While a lot of the research on Cartalax focuses on joints and bones, it has been studied in models related to skin aging. Scientists have used it in preclinical studies (tests done in labs or on animals) to look at how it might affect aging markers. Specifically, researchers are looking at whether it can influence gene expression—basically, the instructions your cells follow—for things like SIRT1 and p53, which are markers related to how cells age.
What Do We Actually Know?
Scientists are still working on these—turns out the human body is complicated. Who knew?
- Melanotan II has safety warnings from the FDA and TGA due to its non-selective nature and concerns over skin cancer.
- Cartalax is currently sold as a dietary supplement in Russia, but it has not been approved by the FDA or EMA.
- The human evidence for Cartalax is very limited, relying mostly on a single study found in a patent document rather than a large, public clinical trial.
This is a great one to bring up with your doctor. You can find peptide-experienced physicians in our Find a Doctor directory.
This content is sourced exclusively from TruthTides clinical reference data and does not constitute medical advice.
Referenced Peptides
This content was generated from TruthTides clinical reference data. It does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.