Ovarian cancer is a disease that continues to cause mortality in female individuals worldwide. Ovarian cancer is challenging to treat due to emerging resistance to chemotherapy, therefore, the identification of effective novel chemotherapeutic agents is important. Polyphenols have demonstrated potential in reducing the risk of developing numerous types of cancer, as well reducing the risk of cancer progression, due to their ability to reduce cell viability and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression. In the present study, eight phenolic compounds were screened in two human ovarian cancer cell lines (OVCAR‑3 and A2780/CP70) to determine their effect on proliferation suppression and VEGF protein secretion inhibition, in comparison to cisplatin, a conventional chemotherapeutic agent. The current study identified that 40 µM gallic acid (GA) exhibited the greatest inhibitory effect on OVCAR‑3 cell viability, compared with all of the phenolic compounds investigated. Similarly to cisplatin, baicalein, GA, nobiletin, tangeretin and baicalin were all identified to exhibit significant VEGF inhibitory effects from ELISA results. Furthermore, western blot analysis indicated that GA effectively decreased the level of the VEGF‑binding protein hypoxia‑inducible factor‑1α in the ovarian cancer cell line. Considering the results of the present study, GA appears to inhibit cell proliferation and, thus, is a potential agent for the treatment of ovarian cancer.