Application Guide: Pumps for the Cosmetic and Pharmaceutical Industries

In the Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical industries, hygiene and process integrity are critical. Whether you’re manufacturing moisturisers, perfumes, syrups, or injectable solutions, companies must comply with strict standards to protect product quality and consumer safety while meeting regulatory approval.

At Tapflo Gulf, we supply a range of pumps and systems designed specifically for these highly regulated environments. This guide will help you choose the correct pump for your process, highlight important compliance considerations, and showcase how our solutions support your processes.

Cosmetics: 

• Diverse products: ranging from perfumes and moisturisers to gels, powders, and scrubs.

• Viscosity extremes: from thin to highly viscous liquids, pastes and even waxes.

• Shear sensitivity: emulsions and suspensions can be damaged by aggressive pumping.

• Consumer-driven safety: even small hygiene failures can damage a brand’s reputation. 

Pharmaceuticals: 

• Regulatory oversight: strict compliance with FDA, EHEDG, USP class VI (ATEX-availability to support pumping in hazardous environments).

• Sterility and traceability: pumps must support aseptic design, validation, and documentation.

• High-value products: even minor contamination risks can result in expensive batch losses. 

• Strict hygiene practices: CIP (Clean in Place) and SIP (Sterilise in Place) are vital to reduce downtime. 

When selecting pumps for the cosmetic & pharmaceutical industries, it’s important to consider: 

• Viscosity: Are you pumping low-viscosity liquids, such as perfumes or thicker media, like ointments.

• Solids Content: In the form of exfoliants, suspensions, or powders. 

• Shear Sensitivity: A key consideration when needing to maintain product structure and integrity.

• Temperature Requirements: Does your process require heating for waxes, or cooling for actives, and does it need to keep its temperature consistent throughout?

• Cleaning & Sterilisation: CIP/SIP compatibility is often very important for efficiency and safety.

• Certifications: Does your pump meet FDA, EHEDG, USP VI, and even ATEX compliance standards?

Within these industries, consumers have high expectations of hygiene from companies to supply them with safe products, using regulatory-compliant equipment. Pumps and Systems we recommend for the Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical industries: 

Our Sanitary Diaphragm Pump supports CIP and SIP due to its ability to turn 360°  for easy cleaning and drainage. The smooth face and no-nut diaphragm reduce the risk of leakage and bacterial growth, keeping maintenance costs and downtime minimal. 

The Aseptic Diaphragm Pump has undergone rigorous testing to ensure optimal hygiene. This pump can be flipped, like the Sanitary Lobe Pump, and the smooth bends in the internal pipes ensure bacteria won’t grow – supporting CIP and SIP for ease of cleaning.  

The Pharmaceutical Diaphragm Pump is ideal for the pharmaceutical industry and laboratory facilities. This pump is designed with only 3 parts that contact the product, making it easy to service and maintain, and reducing contamination risks. It supports CIP and SIP, and is USP VI compliant. 

Pharmaceutical Grade Diaphragm Pump

Peristaltic Pumps are exceptionally sanitary, as the hose is the only part that touches the product being pumped. We specifically recommend the Low–Pressure Peristaltic Pump for sanitary applications, as it is self-priming, can handle solids up to 9mm and is supplied with FDA-approved hoses. For increased versatility, an ATEX-rated variant of this low-pressure pump is available for use in hazardous environments.  

Low Pressure Peristaltic Pump

Our EHEDG Centrifugal Pump is designed for precision in food processing and pharmaceutical production. Manufactured in compliance with EHEDG standards all wet parts are made from stainless steel. The pump ensures superior cleaning of the shaft seal and chamber due to the open or star impellers dry-mounted to the shaft via the O-rings. This pump can handle high pressures and solids up to 10mm in size. 

EHEDG Self Priming Centrifugal Pump

For products such as bath bombs, our Sanitary Powder Pump is a great choice. This pump is suitable for powders that don’t clump together when squeezed. The hermetic seals help create airtight environments, maintaining product integrity and quality. And its non-stick PTFE coating causes an efficient transfer with minimal resistance. 

Accessories can be supplied with many of our pumps, such as a Guardian System (pneumatic pump monitoring system) or a Heating/Cooling Jacket to maintain the temperature of your product.

Sanitary Powder Diaphragm Pump

For larger-scale facilities or those needing full automation, we offer custom-engineered systems that integrate with our Sanitary Pumps to improve efficiency, accuracy, and hygiene. These solutions are designed specifically for the demands of Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical production. 

• SLES Mixing, Dilution & Blending Systems: Automate blending and dilution processes (e.g., SLES preparation for shampoos, soaps, and detergents), ensuring consistency, quality, and reduced manual handling.

• High Viscosity Drum Unloading Systems: Efficiently empty drums of semi-solid or high-viscosity media such as ointments, creams, waxes, oils, and gels, with minimal product loss.

• Mixers & IBC Agitators: Maintain product homogeneity by re-mixing settled liquids directly in IBCs or drums, improving speed and flexibility while avoiding intermediate tanks.

Each system is built for sanitary operation, easy cleaning (CIP/SIP), and regulatory compliance. Tapflo Gulf can customise configurations to suit both small-batch and large-scale operations. 

Diaphragm Pump Guardian System

• Local Expertise: supporting regional compliance with certified solutions for the Cosmetics & Pharmaceutical industries.  

• Comprehensive Service: from supply, installation and maintenance to validation and training. 

• Maintenance & Spares: ensuring long-term reliability and reduced downtime.

• Customisation: accessories such as Guardian pump monitoring systems and heating/cooling jackets are available to support your processes.

Pumps that transfer products for human consumption must be sanitary, and with this, the pump should ensure that consumer safety, product quality and brand integrity are upheld. Therefore, any food, pharmaceutical or cosmetic products must be sanitary due to the end goal of these products. 

All Sanitary Pumps must be FDA certified or have EHEDG approval. This means all wetted parts of the pump must be FDA approved, not just the mechanical seals.  

These pumps will be manufactured from high-quality stainless steel with an electropolished finish, and contain pipes with smooth bends and no sharp angles, ensuring no product can become trapped and breed bacteria.  

To check if a pump has these certifications, read its features, benefits and specifications.  Or contact the original manufacturer to confirm your pump meets these requirements.

Tapflo maintains the quality and integrity of its cosmetic and pharmaceutical pumps and designs them for maximum hygiene. 

Pumps for these industries must confirm to these standards and capabilities:

• FDA & EHEDG Compliance: This global standard set by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the European Hygienic Engineering & Design Group (EHEDG). 

• CIP/SIP capabilities: Clean In Place (CIP) and Sterilise in Place (SIP) features are essential in ensuring equipment can be cleaned thoroughly without completely dismantling it, helping maintain practices and reduce downtime.  

In the Cosmetics and Pharmaceutical industries, choosing the right pump, more so than just its performance, needs to protect product quality, consumer safety and regulatory compliance. Tapflo Gulf offers a complete range of Sanitary Pumps designed for these applications, backed by local service and global expertise.  

Discover our wide range of sanitary pumps, or contact our team today to discuss your business needs.