Melanin
![Melanin pigment (light refracting granular material—center of image) in a pigmented melanoma.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Pigmented_melanoma_-_cytology2347.jpg")
![Albinism occurs when melanocytes produce little or no melanin. This albino girl is from Papua New Guinea.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Albinistic_girl_papua_new_guinea2347.jpg")
![Part of the structural formula of eumelanin.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Eumelanine.svg2347.png")
![Part of the structural formula of pheomelanin.](/Images/godic/202502/02/Pheomelanine.svg2347.png")
Melanin /ˈmɛlənɪn/ (Greek:μέλας - melas, "black, dark") is a broad term for a group of natural pigments found in most organisms (arachnids are one of the few groups in which it has not been detected). Melanin is produced by the oxidation of the amino acid tyrosine, followed by polymerization. The pigment is produced in a specialized group of cells known as melanocytes.