NO MATTER THE circumstances, skincare products made to withstand the elements that active service members face should be more than successful at simply powering through your gym sesh or daily commute. That’s exactly what Bravo Sierra offers, military-grade grooming essentials like deodorant, body wash, and soap for everyday use. Not to mention, the brand donates a portion of the proceeds to military families in need. It’s the perfect Veterans Day purchase, to say nothing of the hydration and protection your skin will gain.
In 2018, Benjamin Bernet and Justin Guilbert founded Bravo Sierra with a simple goal: Create high-performing personal care products with clean ingredient formulas that hold up against the most extreme conditions. While there aren’t any conscious guidelines for all grooming products to be approved for military use, soaps and deodorants must have no trace of chemicals like aluminum, sulfur, or phosphorus, and every Bravo Sierra option passes this test with flying colors.
Of course, simply meeting this requirement isn’t enough for Bravo Sierra, the brand even evaluates its offerings in the field with active members of the military. From the beginning, Bernet and Guilbert have collaborated with members of the U.S. Army’s 75th Ranger Regiment, 2nd Battalion to test how the Bravo Sierra products performed in severe situations.
That’s not an exaggeration either, think of the elements that service members face every day. From freezing temps to blistering heat, these folks will spend hours on end walking, running or crawling through whatever is in their way—often with, let’s say, less-than-ideal bathroom access. But Bravo Sierra’s tools hold up through this all.
“Our products were designed to meet the unique demands of their environment—think shaving foam that works without water, heavy-duty hand creams and body wipes for when showers aren’t available,” Bernet told Men’s Health. “This hands-on, real-world testing is how Bravo Sierra’s journey began and has shaped every product since.”
Most Bravo Sierra products represent core self-care essentials, like deodorants, body washes, and cleanser bars, all of which are made 100 percent free of any sulfates, parabens, silicones or other hazardous ingredients. And this is very much by design. Both Bernet and Guilbert have familial connections to the military, and formulate the products with that institution in mind.
Bravo Sierra
In military slang, “Bravo Sierra” translates to BS, and for the cofounders avoiding any said BS in its formula is central to the brand’s ethos. “It’s more than a name, it’s a philosophy. We focus on honesty, transparency, and straightforward efficacy—no gimmicks, no fluff. This means no B.S. marketing, ingredients or promises,” Bernet said.
He isn’t all talk either. Bravo Sierra’s deodorant, for example, is one of the most effective and longest-lasting natural deodorants we’ve tested. Its smooth and residue-free application is formulated with prebiotics to kill odor-causing bacteria and is packed with cassava root extract to ensure lasting dryness. The brand’s body wash is made primarily from cocamidopropyl betaine,