Abstract The oil of Hippia frutescens collected from the southern coastal regions of South Africa has been examined by capillary GC and GC/MS. Of the 40 identified constituents, the major components were camphor (11.0%), (E)-Î²-farnesene (7.5%), linalool (10.6%), linalyl acetate (6.8%), terpinen-4-ol (8.1%) and Î±-terpineol (7.0%).