Laser spectroscopy, combined with mass spectrometry, was applied to study the spectra of aromatic molecules produced in a premixed ethylene-rich flat flame. These studies produce., new gas-phase electronic spectra of polyaromatic compounds, which ultimately will guide the understanding of the chemical processes that lead to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PM-I) growth or PAR formation locking. Resonant two-photon ionization (R2PI) spectra of all species detectable in a specific fuel-rich flame were recorded simultaneously during a single scan of the laser wavelength, within the 220-330 nm range. Comparison with spectra available in the literature allowed us to identify 16 aromatic species. In the PAR forming region of this flame, we found that the main PAHs are accompanied by a great diversity of other species, including in particular various side chains on aromatic networks We also show that this technique allows, at least in some cases, to distinguish between different isomers associated with the same mass peak, although the extracted PAHs are only cooled down to room temperature.