The purpose of this study was to determine the role of substituted groups in phenolic compounds to develop an anticancer agent having strong cytotoxicity against cancer cells but weak against normal cells. The phenolic compounds used in this study were gallic acid and ferulic acid with hydroxyl and carboxyl groups, syringic acid with hydroxyl, carboxyl and methoxy groups, and pyre-gallol with hydroxyl groups. Cytotoxicities of these compounds were evaluated by MTT assay for cell viability and XTT assay for cell adhesion activity in normal human skin fibroblast (Detroit 551) and human skin melanoma (SK-MEL-3) cells. Syringic acid, gallic acid and ferulic acid decreased the cell viability and cell adhesion activity in SK-MEL-3 cells but not in Detroit 551 cells while pyrogallol decreased in both cells. The susceptibility of cell viability based on the $IC_{50}$ values of MTT assay in Detroit 551 cells was in the following order: pyrogallol > gallic acid > ferulic acid > syringic acid, while it was in SK-MEL-3 cells: Syringic acid > progallol > ferulic acid > gallic acid. These results suggest that carboxyl and methoxy groups of these compounds play an important role in selectivity of cytotoxicity in normal and cancer cells.