I've Tested More Than 100 Skincare Brands—These Are the 11 Best Ones

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You may have noticed lately that the men’s grooming industry is exploding. There seems to be a new brand launching every day that promises to revolutionize your grooming routine. The shelves are now packed with products which, let’s get real, can be a little daunting. The good news is that there are now plenty of options out there for every guy, but cutting through the noise to find what actually works can be a hassle.

We’re here to make things easier on you. These brands—some of which are brand and some of which are tried-and-true—are actually worth your bucks. As Men's Health's' Grooming Editor, I've tested more than 100 skincare brands in the past decade and know which grooming serums, moisturizers, and soaps are worth your hard-earned cash. Trust us, no matter how simple or extensive your grooming routine is, these brands have something for you.

Jackfir

Born out of the founder’s battle with leukemia, this well-edited line of skincare essentials uses high quality natural ingredients (70% of which are organic) and is free of potentially harmful ingredients like artificial preservatives—and their claims are certified by third party organizations like the EWG.

Standouts include the Classic Daily Facial Cleanser that effectively cleanses and exfoliates your skin without leaving it stripped and the ultra soothing Evergreen Eye Cream that uses glycerin and squalane to moisturize and plump the skin around your peepers.

Bravo Sierra

This high performance brand upgrades your daily essentials like soaps and deodorants with better ingredients and more elevated scents with less of the harshness you’ll sometimes find in similar drugstores products.

Plus, through a partnership with the armed forces, they utilize 2,000 active duty service members and veterans to field test their products, ensuring they not only feel good but work just as well. We’re partial to the aluminum-free Deodorant and the rich lathering and deep cleaning Solid Cleanser.

Scotch Porter

Dedicated to providing grooming solutions for men of color, who are traditionally an underserved demographic in the grooming space, Scotch Porter makes products to be used head to toe—everything from hair to body to even fragrance and everything in between. The brand’s products are generally ultra moisturizing with ingredients like coconut oil and shea butter making them ideal for anyone with dry skin or curly, textured hair.

We’re particularly fond of the beard products, which are highly effective and innovative, like the deep conditioning Beard Mask and the lightweight Smoothing Beard Serum. Best of all, most of the products come in bundles so if you’re not sure how to start building a skincare routine, they have you covered.

Medik8

This UK-based skincare brand is heavy on the science and uses their own labs to develop products focused on keeping your skin healthy in the most effective way possible. Built on three pillars - sun protection, Vitamin C, and retinol—these products not only help your skin live its best life now, but protect it from signs of aging in the future.

It’s an extensive line with some advanced products, we we say start with our favorites like the Crystal Retinol Ceramide Eye Serum, C-Tetra Vitamin C Serum and the Advanced Night Ceramide Cream to set your skin up for success.

Horace

You’ll likely find this French grooming brand in the medicine cabinet if your coolest, most in-the-know friend. It’s a Parisian-born brand that merges the French sensibility of simplicity with modern natural ingredients. What started with highly effective and pleasant to use face products (try the Mattifying Face Moisturizer and Anti-Dark Circle Cleanser) has now expanded to beard products like luxuriously scented beard oils, body lotion and hair products (even solid shampoo). If you’re not sure what’s right for you, the brand even offers an online consultation tool to help match you with the right products.

Harry's

You probably already know about Harry’s thanks to their hard-to-beat razors and shaving products that revolutionized the cartridge razor game, but if you haven’t explored the brand’s skin, body and new beard products you’re missing out. The brand known for inexpensive and easy to use grooming solutions now offers an entire range to keep you groomed and fresh from head to toe.

We especially love the Exfoliating Face Wash and moisturizing Daily Face Lotion for your mug, the incredible-smelling Fig Body Wash for your bod, and the lightweight Beard Conditioning Spray for your whiskers.

Jack Henry

This California-based brand brings the cool-guy ethos of the Sunshine State straight to your medicine cabinet. All of the products are minimally-processed and feature natural, sustainably-sourced ingredients that you can feel good about putting on your skin.

They also produce their products in-house, which means they have their hands on every step of the process from sourcing ingredients to the final package design which, frankly, is pretty damn cool.

Try the multi-purpose Cleanse+ for both face and body, the skin-balancing Nightly Detox serum/moisturizer combo and the aluminum-free Prebiotic Deodorant. Oh, and don’t sleep on the hair products, either.

Bevel

What started with a razor designed to minimize ingrown hairs has since exploded into a full-on grooming empire with thoughtful, solution-oriented products to be used from head to toe. The brand was conceived to provide grooming products to men of color, specifically, but these innovative and effective products can be used by all people regardless of skin color or type or hair texture.

It’s hard to beat the OG Premium Safety Razor, though the newer Electric Shaver gives it a run for its money and we’re also partial to the easy to use Exfoliating Toner Pads, 3-in-1 Hair Oil and Post-Shave Bump Control.

Ordinary

Since it launched, The Ordinary has made a name for itself because of its science-forward effective skincare products for a fraction of the price you’d find from almost any other brand out there. We’re talking serums for less the $5, but, you know, that actually work. The product selection is extensive and can be hard to navigate without some base knowledge of skincare but the brand does a good job of helping you navigate based on your skin type and concern.

We say start with bestsellers like Natural Moisturizing Factors + HA (a great daily moisturizer), Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 (a superb hyaluronic acid serum for hydration) and Multi-Peptide Eye Serum (an effective anti-aging serum for your eye area).

Atwater

Developed by the former president of Kiehl’s, this new men’s grooming brand provides innovative and intuitive products that are deceptively simple. Founder Chris Salgardo developed all the formulas from scratch using natural, non-toxic ingredients and used his learnings from his years in skincare to create products that don’t just work, but you actually want to use.

We are particularly particle to the perfectly lightweight Skin Armor Facial Moisturizer, not-too-harsh Skin Armor Face Scrub and multi-functional Clean Impact Body Scrub and Cleansing Bar.

Aesop

Status skincare is a thing and Aesop pretty much invented it. Using natural ingredients and elevated scents, these products don’t just look good on your bathroom counter, they actually work to cleanse, hydrate and fortify your skin, hair and body and there’s even fragrance to complete the routine.

The product selection is wide, so we recommend starting with a bundle which feature curated products groupings based on skin type and need. Don’t sleep on the bestselling Parsley Seed Anti-Oxidant Intense Serum (a perfect does-it-all serum for daily use) and the Coriander Seed Body Cleanser, one of our all time favorite body washes.

About the Expert

For the past five years, Men's Health has dedicated itself to discovering and recommending the best grooming products for men via hands-on testing and in-depth research.

Men's Health grooming has been featured on national news outlets like The TODAY Show and Good Morning America, showcasing the latest new grooming products for men and presenting why we love the brands we select.Aside from constantly updating and adding to our ever-growing grooming section, Men's Health also dedicates an annual Grooming Awards package where we break down the best new products for men—ranging everywhere from skincare to shaving.

Our Grooming Editor, Garrett Munce, has been testing skincrea brands for the past decade, and we've enlisted the help of top dermatologists for their recommendations, so we absolutely know what we're talking about.

Shop More of the Best Skincare Products for Men

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