Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest personal computer manufacturer, is focusing its technological acumen on an unlikely field: cosmetics.

The Palo Alto company's research lab has developed a color-matching technology that allows people to snap pictures with cell phones and send them to a server database that can analyze the colors and recommend matching products. The first application will be to help women find the right foundation and makeup for their complexion and skin type.

"Ask any woman if she has unused makeup; it's their drawer of shame, just stuff that didn't work," said Nina Bhatti, principal scientist for the digital imaging and printing lab at HP Labs. "With this technology, you can get a foundation recommendation within seconds and you can do this at the store or at home, anywhere."

The color match technology, under development for more than two years at HP Labs, can be applied to home decor, design and fashion. The work builds on HP's color imaging work that it has applied to color copiers.

The key is the imaging technology that allows HP to correct and analyze incoming photos, regardless of image quality, camera discrepancies or lighting. The service requires a user to take a picture with a small chart that has several color values.

When sent over the Internet to a server, the software corrects the image using the color values in the chart. That allows the computer to accurately compare the image with almost 200 models in the database. In seconds, HP sends back a text message of what color foundation works best with the skin type. Follow-up text messages can recommend complementary lipstick, blushes and other makeup.

"Our goal is to be as good as a makeup artist, to mimic that quality," Bhatti said.

The service should appeal to a wide range of customers, she said, from young girls who might be intimidated by department store cosmetics counters to working women with little time to spend choosing a makeup product. It also should help customers at drugstores where there are no staff makeup workers.

Bhatti said HP conceived of the idea after being approached by customers in the cosmetics industry. She said HP is in talks with several cosmetics companies to deploy the technology as a free service.

Consumers will need just a basic camera phone that can send pictures over the Internet. They will also need to have a color chart, which cosmetics companies will likely distribute in stores and through magazines.

Analysts are generally high on the technology and its prospects.

"It's a great example of HP Labs being able to use the tools out there today with color match and cellular technology to allow people to do something they could never do before," said Crawford Del Prete, an analyst at IDC. "You can now more accurately predict what kind of cosmetics you're going to need."

Jonathan Eunice, an analyst at Illuminata, said the service should find a big audience with cosmetic customers.

"This is a much more personal implementation of HP's imaging technology," Eunice said. "It's not about a printer somewhere; it's about what makes me look good."