Screenshot of an advertisement for the French cosmetic brand Francis.

Zhou Gongdu, a chemistry professor at Peking University, has announced he intends to sue Beijing TV for broadcasting an advertisement for the French cosmetic brand Franic that repeats the phrase "we hate chemistry" in Chinese throughout and displays the Chinese characters for this. Beijing Youth Daily said the ad sent the wrong message.

Within the advertising profession, people are admiring the success of Franic's chemistry-hating promotion. Its eye-catching sensationalism is hard to emulate even with bigger budgets. The comments from those in the advertising sector reveal the gap between the ad industry's approval and the public's disapproval.

Even though the message that is meant to be conveyed is the products use only natural ingredients rather than a mix of chemicals, the ad disappointed people's expectations. Viewers were expecting something more positive, at least not so destructive. In addition, no make-up products are completely free from chemical ingredients.

Another devastating impact of the advertisement is that it diminishes the importance of learning the subject for students. As one of the three pillar subjects in Chinese science education, chemistry - along with math and physics - is essential for enrolling in higher education.

So to conclude, we should ask why such an advertisement was allowed to air.