Abstract The leaf oils from five Myrtaceae species growing in the restinga forest of Carapebus, on the southeastern Brazilian coast, were obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by GC/MS. Eugenia punicifolia oil contained only sesquiterpenes, with predominance of β-elemene (22.1%) followed by β-caryophyllene (8.5%) and components of the selinane (24.8%) and cadinane (14.0%) skeletal-types. Eugenia sulcata oil had the highest content of monoterpenes, among which α-pinene (12.2%), β-pinene (10.8%) and 1,8-cineole (19.6%) predominated. This profile was completed with 23.5% of caryophyllane and humulane derivatives. α-Pinene also appeared significantly (18.8%) in Eugenia rotundifolia, followed by small amounts of α-terpineol (4.4), while limonene (4.7%) and 1,8-cineole (6.8%) were the main monoterpenes in Myrciaria floribunda. The chemical profile of Neomitranthes obscura was also dominated by selinane-type sesquiterpenes: α-cadinene (23.4%), selina-3,7(11)-diene (13.9%), β-selinene (8.5%) and α-selinene (5.5%), followed by traces of pinenes, limonene and 1,8-cineole (2.4%). Total cyclic sesquiterpene alcohols, esters and epoxides decreased from 55.5% in E. rotundifolia to 8.6% in M. floribunda. However, the latter species contained 26.9% of (E)-nerolidol in the oil composition. Traces of ketones (up to 3.1%) are present in E. punicifolia, N. obscura and M. floribunda.