Guide
Does melanotan 1 need to be refrigerated?
Melanotan 1 ships as a dry powder that needs no cold pack, and only requires the fridge once it is in solution. Storage, mixing and vial checks.
Published November 5, 2026
A vial of melanotan 1 does not need the fridge while it is the dry powder. It ships lyophilized for exactly that reason, so a parcel can cross the country without a cold pack and arrive chemically intact. The fridge starts to matter the moment water goes in: a reconstituted vial belongs at 2 to 8°C, and from then on it is a use-it item rather than something you store.
| Peptide | Vial sizes | From |
|---|---|---|
| Melanotan 1 | 10mg | $59.99 CAD |
Free shipping across Canada. Every vial ships with a QR code linking to its own batch lab report. See all peptides
What melanotan 1 is
Melanotan 1 is a synthetic linear peptide, 13 residues long, built as an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Its other name is afamelanotide, and the two names describe the same molecule.
| Other name | Afamelanotide |
| Structure | Linear, 13 residues |
| Formula | C78H111N21O19 |
| Molecular weight | 1646.85 g/mol |
| CAS | 75921-69-6 |
| Vial we stock | 10 mg |
Those identifiers are also the identity check. The molecular weight is the mass a mass-spec result is checked against, and the formula and CAS number separate this molecule from the other melanocortin peptides in the catalog. Melanotan 1 vs melanotan 2 vs PT-141 sets all three side by side.
Does melanotan 1 need to be refrigerated?
Not as a powder. Freeze-drying removes the water, and with no water present there is very little for the peptide to react with. Room temperature in transit is normal and says nothing about the material.
| Form | Where it lives |
|---|---|
| Lyophilized powder, long term | Freezer, around -20°C |
| Lyophilized powder, a few weeks | Fridge, or a cool dark shelf |
| Reconstituted solution | Fridge, 2 to 8°C, away from the door shelf |
Light and moisture do more damage to a dry vial than a few degrees of warmth, so keep it dark and keep it sealed. Let a cold vial reach room temperature before you open it, because condensation forming on powder that was dried on purpose works against you. How to store research peptides covers the reasoning behind all three rows, and melanotan 2 in Canada answers the same refrigeration question for the cyclic version of this peptide.
Reconstituting a melanotan 1 vial
Water goes down the inside wall of the vial, not straight onto the powder. Let it reach the powder on its own, then swirl gently. Shaking builds foam, which means shear, and shear costs purity.
The volume of water is yours to choose, because the amount of peptide in the vial does not change:
| Vial | 1 mL | 2 mL | 3 mL | 5 mL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 mg | 10 mg/mL6.07 mM | 5 mg/mL3.04 mM | 3.33 mg/mL2.02 mM | 2 mg/mL1.21 mM |
Melanotan 1 vial sizes we sell, at four diluent volumes. Molarity uses 1646.85 g/mol. Other volumes
At 1646.85 g/mol, a 10 mg vial holds about 6 micromoles. The calculator page has the molecular weight preset, and how to reconstitute a lyophilized peptide walks through the technique. The BPC-157 handling guide runs the same routine for a different vial.
How long a reconstituted vial lasts
A vial in solution and kept cold is generally good for a few weeks, not months. The clock starts the moment water is added, and three things decide how fast it runs:
- The solvent: bacteriostatic water carries a small amount of preservative, which slows microbial growth and buys more time than plain sterile water. Bacteriostatic water vs. sterile water compares the two.
- The temperature: cold, steady and dark is the goal. A warm bench shortens the window.
- Freeze-thaw cycles: freezing and thawing the same solution over and over stresses the molecule. Split anything you plan to freeze into single-use aliquots first, so you thaw only the portion you need.
The DSIP handling guide works through the same storage routine for a peptide with very different numbers.
How to check a melanotan 1 vial
Melanotan 1's mass, 1646.85 g/mol, sits far enough from melanotan 2 at 1024.18 and PT-141 at 1025.16 that a mass-spec line separates the three cleanly. A report for the vial should show:
- an observed mass near 1646.85
- purity at 99% or higher by HPLC
- a batch number that matches the vial
- a named, independent lab
How to read a peptide lab report walks through each line, including the checks that catch a report recycled from another batch. Melanotan 1 is sold in Canada as a research chemical for laboratory use under the same terms as every other vial in the catalog, and the QR code on the vial opens the report for its own batch rather than a generic product-page PDF.
Every melanotan 1 vial from pepuro ships free, from our Calgary, Toronto and Vancouver distribution centers, the same business day your e-Transfer clears, with a QR code on the vial that opens its independent, third-party lab report.
For research use only. Not for human or animal consumption.
Frequently asked questions
Does melanotan 1 need to be refrigerated?
+
Not while it is the dry powder, which is stable at room temperature in transit and for a few weeks on a cool, dark shelf. Once it is reconstituted, keep the vial in the fridge at 2 to 8°C, away from the door shelf, where the temperature swings every time the fridge opens.
How long is melanotan 1 good after reconstitution?
+
A few weeks when kept cold, not indefinitely. Bacteriostatic water gives a longer window than plain sterile water because its preservative slows microbial growth, and repeated freeze-thaw cycles shorten it further. Split anything you plan to freeze into single-use aliquots first.
What is melanotan 1?
+
Melanotan 1 is a synthetic linear peptide of 13 residues, built as an analog of alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone. Its molecular weight is 1646.85 g/mol and its CAS number is 75921-69-6. It is studied in melanocortin-pathway research.
How much bacteriostatic water do I add to a melanotan 1 vial?
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There is no single correct volume. One mL into the 10 mg vial gives 10 mg/mL, 2 mL gives 5 mg/mL, and 5 mL gives 2 mg/mL. The amount of peptide in the vial never changes, only the concentration does.
Is melanotan 1 the same as afamelanotide?
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Yes. Afamelanotide is another name for melanotan 1, the same linear 13-residue analog of alpha-MSH. A research vial sold under either name carries the same identifiers: C78H111N21O19, 1646.85 g/mol and CAS 75921-69-6.
How do I know a vial really contains melanotan 1?
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Check the report for that batch. The observed mass should sit near 1646.85 g/mol, purity should be at or above 99% by HPLC, the batch number should match the vial, and a named third-party lab should have run the test.
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