Viral 'Barbie drug' for tanning can cause brain swelling and even cancer, experts warn No, you don't need the 'Barbie drug' to tan, whatever TikTok says. Here's why melanotan II is so risky I accidentally undid years of skin work and didnt realize it until it was too late., At the beginning of November, I started taking melanotan 2 and honestly?, I loved it., My tan deepened 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