I could be wrong about the sugar increasing heat in the lye solution. I have used other liquids besides water to create my lye solution, and it always happens that if they have a high sugar content, the solution heats up more than my solutions with only water. But it could also be a different type of sugar than table sugar. And it could also be a bit of alcohol content may be involved in some cases. For example: Kombucha Tea. To me kombucha tea tastes alcoholic, which makes sense because it is fermented with sugar. (I don't drink alcoholic beverages, so anything that tastes of even a hind of alcohol at the first sip, I just don't like.) I do make Kombucha tea soap for some family & friends who like it and can tell you that adding lye to Kombucha tea will create a roiling solution if care is not taken to prevent it.
