He initially worked at a pharmacy in Mainz, and afterwards studied in Marburg and Paris.
Following the death of his father, he inherited the elder Bruch's pharmacy in Zweibrücken at the age of 21.
Bruch collaborated with Wilhelm Philippe Schimper (1808–1880) on the epic Bryologia europaea, a six-volume work on European bryology.
Also, he described a number of species from the moss genus Orthotrichum that received valid publication (Bruch ex Brid.)
The genus Bruchia from the family Bruchiaceae is named in his honor.