The effect of the composite parameters' plasma power (P)-to-monomer flow rate (phi) ratio (P/phi) in the plasma polymerization of allyl alcohol and 1-propanol was studied. The radio-frequency plasmas of deposits operated at low power (1-15 W) were investigated using deposition rate measurements. Detailed chemical information on the plasma polymers was obtained by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The study of the surface chemistry of films created from allyl alcohol and 1-propanol demonstrates the importance of the double bond for good C-O group retention. The deposition rates of both plasma polymers were found to increase with increasing P. The comparison of the deposition rates of plasma-deposited allyl alcohol and I-propanol suggests that the double bond is involved in the deposition mechanism.