PDF) Increasing illegal use of Melanotan: The Barbie drug hype Background 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 Therapeutic Goods Administration cracks down on banned 'Barbie drug' Melanotan II Herald Sun Melanotan II is the product that's been dubbed the "Barbie drug" on social media, and promises to give users a tan without the sun but it can have serious side effects including, in rare cases,