The essential oils obtained by water distillation from the aerial parts of Helichrysum italicum subsp. italicum growing on Tuscan Archipelago Islands were analyzed by CG-RI and CG-MS. These oils were characterized by the predominance of oxygenated compounds and by a qualitatively homogeneous composition. However, according to the amounts of β-diketones and neryl acetate, two chemical compositions were distinguished. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.