The essential oils obtained by water distillation from the aerial parts of two Helichrysum italicum ssp. growing in Corsica (France), Tuscany and Sardinia (Italy) were analysed by GC-RI and GC-MS. The essential oils prepared from Corsican and Tuscan Helichrysum italicum subsp. italicum exhibited two different compositions. Corsican oils were characterized by the pre-eminence of oxygenated compounds: neryl acetate (major compound), neryl propionate, nerol, acyclic ketones and β-diketones. Conversely, Tuscan oils were found to exhibit higher contents of hydrocarbons (α-pinene, β-caryophyllene, α-and β-selinenes). The comparison of essential oils hydrodistilled from Corsican and Sardinian Helichrysum italicum subsp. microphyllum showed almost similar chemical compositions. The main constituents were: neryl acetate, nerol, neryl propionate, linalool, eudesm-5-en-11-ol and γ -curcumene.