The chemical constituents of the aerial part of Ruta graveolens L.and their B16 melanin promotion activity have been studied.The isolation was carried out using chromatographic analyses including silica gel,Sephadex LH-20,etc.As a result,23 compounds were isolated.Their structures were elucidated as blumentol C glucoside (1),(6R,9S)-roseoside (2),8-hydroxysmyrindiol (3),cnidioside B (4),rutarensin (5),isorutarin (6),rutarin (7),gallic acid (8),p-hydroxybenzoic acid (9),cis-p-coumaric acid 4-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (10),2-phenylethyl 6-O-galloyl-β-D-glucopyranoside (11),protocatechuic acid (12),6-carboxyethyl-5-hydroxy-benzofuran 5-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (13),picraquassioside A (14),morin-3-O-α-L-rhamnopyranoside (15),kaempferol-3-O-β-D-6-acetyl glucopyranosyl-(1→4)-α-L-rhamnoside (16),kaempferol (17),quercitrin-3-O-α-L-rhamnoside (18),quercetin (19),quercetin-3-O-β-D-xylopyranoside (20),kaempferol-3-O-α-L-rhamopyranoside (21),helichrysoside (22),naringenin-7-O-β-D-glucopyranoside (23) on the basis of spectroscopic analysis.Compounds 1-5,10,11,13,15,16,18,19 and 21-23 were isolated from this plant for the first time.Compounds 1-7 of melanin contents and tyrosinase activity were performed in B16 melanoma cells.The results showed that,all compounds did not show significant melanin promotion activity compared with control group.