The increasing incidence of cutaneous malignancies signifies the need for multiple treatment options. Several available reviews have emphasized the potential role of various botanical extracts and naturally occurring compounds as anti-skin-cancer agents. Few studies relate to the role of chemoprevention and therapeutic activity of essential oils (EOs) and EO components. The present review summarizes an overview of chemopreventive, anti-melanoma and anti-nonmelanoma activities of EOs from various plants and EO components in in vitro and in vivo models with special emphasis on skin cancer. Also, the mechanisms by which EOs and EO components exert their effects to induce cell death are presented.

皮肤恶性肿瘤发病率的增加表明需要多种治疗选择。一些现有的评论强调了各种植物提取物和天然存在的化合物作为抗皮肤癌药的潜在作用。很少有研究涉及化学预防的作用以及精油（EO）和EO成分的治疗活性。本综述概述了体外和体内模型（特别是皮肤癌）中来自各种植物和EO成分的EO的化学预防，抗黑素瘤和抗非黑素瘤活性。此外，还介绍了EO和EO成分发挥作用诱导细胞死亡的机制。