Genista species (family Leguminosae) show interesting biological properties. In this paper we describe the biological activity of the essential oils extracted from the aerial parts of G. sessilifolia DC. and G. tinctoria L. against M14 human melanoma cells, testing several biochemical parameters, such as cell vitality, cell membrane integrity and genomic DNA fragmentation. In addition, we report for the first time the study of the composition of the essential oil obtained from G. tinctoria. The most abundant components of the oil were carbonylic compounds such as (E)-beta-ionone (9.1%), dihydroactinidiolide (7.3%), nonanal (5.1%) and hexahydrofarnesylacetone (4.3%). The essential oils from aerial parts of both G. sessilifolia and G. tinctoria showed interesting potential anticancer activity, suggesting the presence of active compounds.