The influence of the time of distillation on the content and composition of the essential oil isolated from lavender (Lavandula angustifolia Mill.) by steam distillation was investigated. The maximum essential oil percentage (2%) was obtained after 2 hours of distillation, while the minimum essential oil percentage (1%) was obtained after 40 minutes of distillation. The chemical composition of the isolated oil was determined by GC-MS. Linalool (28.78– 30.68%), linalyl acetate (12.35–17.67%) and α-terpineol (7.57–11.49%) were the major components of the analysed oil. Key words: lavender, steam distillation, essential oil, linalool, linalyl acetate, α-terpineol, GC, MS