It is similar to polyisobutylene (PIB), which is produced from essentially pure isobutylene made in a C4 complex of a major refinery.
[1] Industrial product applications include sealants, adhesives, extenders for putties used for sealing roofs and windows, coatings, polymer modification, tackified polyethylene films, personal care, polybutene emulsions.
Hydrogenated polybutenes are used in a wide variety of cosmetic preparations, such as lipstick and lip gloss.
Polybutene finds a niche use in bird and squirrel repellents and is ubiquitous as the active agent in mouse and insect "sticky traps".
[3] This depolymerization mechanism which allows clean and complete volatization is in contrast to mineral oils which leave gum and sludge or thermoplastics which melt and spread.