AbstractThe chemical composition of essential oils from the flowering plants of four Santolina L. species was examined by gas chromatography, gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry, infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR and13C NMR). The essential oil of S. canescens Lag. was rich in camphor (15.0%). The other major constituents of this species and of S. rosmarinifolia L. were 1,8‐cineole, β‐pinene, myrcene, sabinene, ar‐curcumene and β‐eudesmol. The oil of S. pectinata Lag. and of S. semidentata Hoffmanns.&Link contained β‐eudesmol, nerolidol + spathulenol, α‐cadinol and a sesquiterpene alcohol MW 220. The oil of S. pectinata also contained τ‐cadinol, γ‐eudesmol and elemol as major components. The absence of yomogi alcohol and artemisia ketone in the oils from S. canescens and S. rosmarinifolia is