Our results demonstrated that crude C. hystrix hexane extract and its compounds citronellol and citronellal showed anticancer effects by inducing apoptosis in the triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell line through inhibition of the anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2, leading to activation of the pro-apoptotic Bax protein and inducing the downstream caspase-dependent apoptosis pathway by activating caspase-3 protein. This evidence concerns the gene CASP3 and triple-negative breast carcinoma.